Yu Yu Hakusho: Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!
by Eun-Jung
Summary: A curious wager, four beautiful maidens, an unfolding romance, and the shounen world flipped upside down. When the world finds itself in danger and without defenders, you should have no fear because the Pretty Soldiers are here!
1. Chapter I: Pretty Flower Wager!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, or any other possible story plots I might have borrowed this idea from. The two major series are owned by Yoshihiro Togashi and Naoko Takeuchi, who are coincidentally two of the most famous manga artists and are married to one another.

**Author's Note: **I'm breaking my promise and starting a new story before I have finished my other ones. This is a humor piece, so please do not take it seriously.

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**Yu Yu Hakusho: Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!**  
**Chapter I: Pretty Flower Wager! The Prince and Ogre Go into Combat!**

* * *

"No, George, you're wrong."

"I am not, Koenma-sama!"

"Yes, you are."

"Beg your pardon, Koenma-sama, but I'm right."

"And how is that?"

"Girls can be good Spirit Detectives just as boys can."

Sighing at his employee's limited knowledge and obvious ignorance, Koenma slumped his head onto his chubby hand. "George, you're clearly wrong. Girls cannot be as good Spirit Detectives as boys can be. It's just physically impossible."

"No, it's not, Koenma-sama!" George argued indignantly. The ogre waved his arms in the air to display his conviction. "Girls can too be as good as boys, Koenma-sama! You're just too afraid to admit it! Don't you remember some years back you had a woman as a Spirit Detective?"

"I was short on able-bodied spiritual humans!" Koenma retorted with a frown. "Besides, even if I had commissioned her as a Spirit Detective, that was only because she barely passed the requirements."

"Koenma-sama, now you're just making excuses. She was a very good Detective, if not one of the best, and you know it!"

"Fine," the spiritual sovereign huffed while crossing his arms. "Seeing as we're going nowhere with this argument, how about we make a bet? I bet the Spirit Detectives against any four girls of your choice, George, and say that boys make better Spirit Detectives."

"Any four girls, Koenma-sama?"

"Any four girls," Koenma confirmed. "And the conditions of the bet are each team needs to arrest two of the three demon criminals that appear in Human World within two months, rescue two souls, and try getting one successful attack against one member of the other team. And whoever wins this bet gets the loser's dessert for the next ten years. Fair, you bumbling ogre?"

George stroked his blue chin thoughtfully, not sure whether to take the young prince on his wager. After all, his ten years worth of dessert was on the line; on the other hand, George would be gaining ten years worth of more dessert: Koenma's special dessert to be more precise. The situation was rather risky, one side tempting, the other uninviting.

"Go for it, George!" Hinageshi cheered, the redhead ferry girl excitedly scampering into Koenma's office.

"Yes, take Koenma-sama on his little wager, George-san," taller Ayame encouraged with a smile, calmly following Hinageshi. Koenma gave the ferry woman a pout, wondering why she sided with the ogre instead of her prince.

"Should I really do it?"

Hinageshi gave the blue ogre and excited two thumbs up. She smiled brightly and encouragingly. "No worries! You have a fairly good chance to win this one, George. I can feel it."

Taking a look at Ayame, George received an encouraging nod, armoring the blue ogre for his next words. "All right then," George grinned as he shook Koenma's much smaller hand in agreement, "I'll take you on your wager, Koenma-sama. My girls' team against your Spirit Detectives."

"Ayame and I will be the referees!" Hinageshi volunteered excitedly. "We'll make sure this is a fair game!"


	2. Chapter II: Sweet Surprise Special!

**Author's Note: **Thank you to the readers that reviewed. They really do encourage me. At least now I know I have not posted this story for naught. And yet again, another chapter. Chapter 3 will be posted shortly.

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**Yu Yu Hakusho: Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!****  
Chapter II: Sweet Surprise Special! Beautiful Heroines Rise Up!**

* * *

"Oh, Botan-chan, why did you call all of us here today?" Keiko wondered as she sipped some of her green tea. 

"Yeah, I thought it was the boys' job to take on assignments," Shizuru grumbled as she puffed some smoke out near the window. "Why is Koenma-sama sending us a tape?"

"Oh, this isn't from Koenma-sama," Botan smiled sheepishly as she inserted the tape into the VCR. She accepted Yukina's offer of tea while seating comfortably by her friends. "Actually, George-san is the one who sent this, so Keiko-chan can see this too."

Right then, George's face appeared on the screen.

"Good afternoon, ladies," George greeted politely, sitting in a large armchair. "As you may be wondering right now is why I have arranged you to come together and to watch this tape. Well, the reason is quite simple" The blue ogre suddenly fell to his knees and begged, "I am in desperate need of your help!"

The girls each gave the television a nervous smile.

"Koenma-sama believes that women are less capable than men, but I highly disagree. And because of my disagreement, Koenma-sama has set up a wager to determine which gender is better. I am here right now to ask you of your help to defeat the Spirit Detectives. They have already made their decision and have agreed with Koenma-sama. Please send your responses through Botan. And if you agree to assist me in Koenma-sama's defeat, Botan will give you your morphing devices."

The screen went black.

"So, what do you girls think?" Botan inquired with a playful smile, quickly finishing her drink. Her face was beaming with delight and amusement. "Are the three of you going to help George with his bet? I've already agreed."

"But to fight against Yusuke and the others," Keiko mumbled doubtfully. The human girl sighed heavily at the thought. "How are we supposed to go against them, Botan-chan?"

"Yes, the Detectives' strengths are a quite formidable power," Yukina muttered shyly in agreement. "Even in the Demon World it is rare to find anyone with as much power as them."

"Oh, we'll be compensated for it," Botan grinned, waving off her friends' worries. The ferry girl was nearly bouncing off the walls in excitement and anticipation. "You just have to agree or not if you want to help."

"I'm up for it," Shizuru shrugged. She tossed her cigarette out the open window. "I don't know about you girls, but knowing that my brother is strutting around thinking he's superior because he's a guy just really ticks me off. I think that boy needs to be put in his place."

"Well, I guess I'll help," Keiko sighed, joining the ranks. "Yusuke is already unmanageable as it is. I would hate dealing him with a bigger head than he already has."

"And I will assist as well," Yukina smiled. "It will be interesting to be as powerful as the Spirit Detectives, even if it is just for a moment."

"Great!" Botan cheered, lunging eagerly into her bag. "And for your consent, George sends us these marvelous gifts!" From her bag, Botan presented four glossy compacts, each one colored differently. The excited ferry girl tossed Keiko the yellow device, Yukina the white one, and Shizuru the red one. The pink compact Botan kept for herself.

"What are these things?" Keiko wondered as she opened her compact. Instead of seeing make-up, the human girl observed a yellow jewel in the shape of a flower (a peony to be exact), a mirror on the opposite interior. The design was the same for the other three compacts, but their flowers were a white apricot blossom, a pink rose, and a red salvia.

"These," Botan giggled, "are our morphing devices George mentioned earlier. It's with these we're going to stand a chance against the guys."

While observing her new trinket, Shizuru asked, "So how do these things work exactly?"

Holding her compact in the air and above her head, Botan smiled, "You hold it up and say, 'Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!' Make sure you say it clearly and happily or else it won't work."

"What won't work?" Yukina wondered innocently.

"You'll see."


	3. Chapter III: Masked Mystery Magic!

**Author's Note: **Thank you for the reviews. Anyway, the story's pace is a little odd, even for me, so I hope everyone will bear with me and continue to read. I hope you enjoy the third installment of this outrageous story.

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**Yu Yu Hakusho: Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!****  
Chapter III: Masked Mystery Magic! Flower Pretty Soldiers' First Battle!**

* * *

"Damn Koenma! Why the hell is he so grouchy all of a sudden?" Yusuke grumbled as he kicked a can from his path. "That little squirt is so worked up about this case he threatened my soul if we screw up." The young man was walking through a darkened park, his only source of light the street lamps that followed the sidewalk. 

"Yes," Kurama agreed serenely, a thoughtful hand on his chin, "Koenma-sama did seem somewhat perturbed, even more so than he would for any other similar case. There must be something more to the situation than what we're led to believe." As he continued his pondering, Kurama walked by Yusuke and kept the latter's pace.

Growling and cracking his knuckles, Yusuke murmured, "Well, this demon better be worth my time because right now, I'm really pissed off--and not just at Koenma! I can't believe Keiko said those things to me!"

"Trouble in paradise, Detective?" Hiei smirked as he landed by Kurama's side.

"Where have you been, Hiei?" Kurama questioned sternly, their group continually moving. "You were supposed to meet us in the Spirit World for Koenma-sama's summoning."

"I was busy," the fire demon snapped, glaring at his fellow demon. How he hated being reprimanded. "Sorry if Mukuro's threats are a little more dangerous than that pipsqueak's rants. Besides, it's not like I'm obligated to the Spirit World anymore, especially to that runt-of-a-prince."

"You're not one to call someone small," Kazuma muttered beneath his breath, making his presence known to the shorter demon.

Hiei shot the human a spine-tingling glare, making Kazuma squirm from the unpleasant sensations wriggling through his body. "What did you say, you bumbling oaf?"

Sighing, Kurama stepped in between the quarrelsome two before much trouble could start. He kept them separated as the Detectives continued walking. "Now, now," Kurama chuckled, "You shouldn't fight amongst yourselves, especially when you're just discouraged with yourself." Turning to Hiei, Kurama said, "Mukuro being frustrated with you, Hiei, does not allow you to harm Kuwabara-kun."

"What?"

And Kurama said to Kazuma, "And Yukina-san not returning your feelings does not allow you to be angry with Hiei, Kuwabara-kun. You must be patient with Yukina-san as she does not understand human ways very well."

"Hey! Don't pin this on Yukina-san. I'm angry at Hiei and no one else!" Kazuma snapped.

Yusuke tried stifling his laughter, but he was rather unsuccessful. "Wow, looks like I'm not the only one having trouble in paradise."

"We're all about to have more than relational problems," Kurama murmured dangerously, halting in his step. His voice grew low and precarious. "We're being watched." Following Kurama's example, the other Detectives stopped as well and scanned the area with their keen spiritual/demon senses.

The four boys waited silently for some sign.

Suddenly, from the darkness, the attack came.

"Yusuke, watch out!" Kurama warned as he dodged a demonic missile.

"Spirit Gun!" Yusuke cried out in retaliation, shooting his Spirit Energy into the woods. Although he had shot blindly into the trees, Yusuke had sensed the demon's aura and knew he had missed his target. "Damn, this guy is really fast."

"I can't find him," Hiei muttered beneath his breath. "My jagan can't sense his movements."

"That's very bad," Kurama replied gravely.

"How are we going to catch this guy?" Kazuma shouted in panic, very much on alert with his Spirit Sword. The demon's maniacal laughing put the human on his edge. "He's even too fast for Hiei to catch!"

The former fox thief tried making another comment, but a sudden wave of overpowering floral scent ceased his tongue. Kurama inhaled deeply while he tried naming the smells that dominated the air. 'There are four,' Kurama thought, imagining the four flowers in his divided mind. Without warning, delicate flower petals showered the Detectives and demon.

A lovely voice abruptly rang out, "When the Human World finds itself in danger—"

"And without defenders—"

"You should have no fear—"

"Because—"

"The Pretty Soldiers are here!"

Suddenly from midair, four women jumped before the four Spirit Detectives.

"I am Yellow Peony!" the first maiden smiled, tossing her gloved hand upwards in the air in a pose. Her semi-long hair and eyes shimmered like gold; her costume consisted of pale yellow gloves, matching high-heeled boots, short skirt, and mask. The top of the ensemble was like a junior high uniform; however, the bodice was white, and where a bow would usually be, a golden brooch was located.

After Yellow Peony, a similar maiden appeared: only, her color theme (not to mention her hair and eye color) was a cherry blossom pink. "I'm Pink Rose!"

"I am White Apricot!" a tentative girl posed soon afterwards.

"And I'm Red Salvia," a fiery woman smirked as she landed gracefully beside her partners.

"And together," the four girls announced, getting into a group pose, "we are the Pretty Soldiers!"

The Spirit Detectives were knocked senseless, their brains unable to handle the reality of the situation. Not even Youko Kurama's complex mind could comprehend what stood before him. The demon fugitive at hand felt exactly the same as the Detectives.

"All right!" the girl Yellow Peony shouted to her companions. "We're going to nab that demon and save the world."

"Leave it to Red Salvia and me!" Pink Rose winked, removing a rose from her rosy hair. "Hyah! Rose Whip!" The delicate flower transformed into a thorny whip and wrapped itself around the escaping demon that had somehow recovered from shock.

"Hey!" Kazuma yelled accusingly. "That's Kurama's attack!"

"Time for some punishment," Red Salvia smirked, scarlet energy forming in her gloved hands. "Crimson Petal Pressure!" Three powerful energy orbs shot out from Red Salvia's hands, two hitting the demon and one exploding near the Spirit Detectives.

"Damn girls!" Yusuke snapped once the smoke cleared away. "What are you trying to do, kill us? Don't you have any idea what you're doing?"

"Shut up! We know perfectly well what we're doing!" Yellow Peony snapped at the leading Detective.

"Then what's with stealing Kurama's attack?"

"She didn't steal his attack! That's her attack too!"

"Lack of originality is more like it."

"Don't make me hurt you!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Peony, let it go," Pink Rose laughed uneasily, trying to pull her friend away. In one hand, Pink Rose held the demon captive in the whip, while with the other hand she tried leading Yellow Peony away. "We have the demon, so just let it go."

"No!" Yellow Peony huffed, snatching her arm back. She angrily pointed a shaking gloved finger at Yusuke. "He can't say that about you and get away with it!"

Sighing in hopelessness, Pink Rose turned to White Apricot and Red Salvia and said, "Take the demon to Spirit World and I'll get Peony back home."

"Okay." Just as the two Pretty Soldiers were about to grab their captive, Hiei and Kurama dashed in front of the two warriors and snatched away the demon. "Hey! Give him back!" the young women protested.

"Sorry, ladies," Kurama apologized with a foxy smile, "but Koenma-sama is expecting us and this demon back in Spirit World."

"Once a thief, always a thief!" Pink Rose shouted while rushing towards the two Detectives. The Pretty Soldier, readying her Rose Whip, prepared herself to recapture her prisoner.

Bowing and easily dodging Pink Rose's lashes, Kurama chuckled, "Well, I guess so, ne?"

Pink Rose blushed with fury. "Why, I should—"

Grabbing Pink Rose and Yellow Peony's wrists firmly, Red Salvia ordered White Apricot, "We need a diversion! Let's go home!"

Nodding in agreement, White Apricot made mysterious gestures with her hands. "Blooming Illusion!" A flowery fog emitted from White Apricot's hands filled the area, clouding away the Pretty Soldiers. By the time any of the Spirit Detectives could see or sense through the smoke, the girls were gone.

"What the hell was that all about?" Kazuma thought.

"It seems we have rivals," Kurama muttered. He glanced at the Rose Whip and captured demon in his hands and narrowed his emerald eyes. "Dangerous rivals if we are not careful."


	4. Chapter IV: Girl Hearts Battle!

**Author's Note: **Ah, I'm so happy that this story actually gets some response. At least I know that some people are actually reading it. Anyway, thank you for the compliments—I'm not a very good writer, so thank you anyway for your lovely words. Additionally, I must continue completing my other stories, so "Yu Yu Hakusho: Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!" will not be updated for a while. Sorry everyone. I hope you enjoy this chapter and savor it. Until next time!

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**Yu Yu Hakusho: Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!  
Chapter IV: Girl Hearts Battle! Lovely Fighters' Difficult Decision!**

* * *

STAMP.

STAMP.

STA—wait a second—STAMP.

Koenma methodically stamped and approved papers, occasionally picking up his second stamp and rejecting an undeserving plea for Heaven or a request for a raise. What was the point of a raise? No one in Spirit World got paid anyway.

"Koenma!" Yusuke growled as he stomped into the office. "You have a whole damn lot to explain!"

The prince looked up and faced four angry Detectives. Sweat trickled down the back of his head. "What are you talking about?"

"Who the hell are these 'Pretty Soldiers'?" Yusuke slammed a fist onto Koenma's desk, scattering some papers onto the floor. The spiritual sovereign glared at the disorganized work, loathing the idea of reorganizing the papers.

"I have no idea who you are talking about, Yusuke," Koenma replied coolly, summoning George to pick up the papers. Picking up his stamp again, the prince returned to his tedious work. "And I don't understand why you're so bothered. I'm pretty sure you can take care of anything that comes your way."

"Then you did not send them, Koenma-sama?" Kurama asked carefully.

"What are you talking about?" Koenma shouted in frustration, throwing papers all over his office. George groaned as he quickly scrambled to clean up the latest additions.

Bending down and picking some papers from the ground, Kurama replied calmly, "Maybe you should see, Koenma-sama, what happened in Human World just moments ago."

Koenma took Kurama's advice, picked up his remote control, and brought down a big screen in front of his desk. With a few clicks here and there, he arrived at the scene that Kurama spoke of. Four dashingly beautiful women in identical costumes appeared on screen. They gave introductions, stated their business, and tried stealing the demon from the Spirit Detectives. Oddly, everyone felt like they were watching anime while the Pretty Soldiers remained on screen.

"So, they're the Pretty Soldiers," Koenma mused while he replaced his screen. Placing his hands together thoughtfully, he said, "I haven't seen a Pretty Soldier in Human World in over two centuries."

"So you know who they are?" Kazuma asked.

"Not even I can see through their disguises," Koenma sighed hopelessly. "In reaction to Otou-sama creating Spirit Detectives, Okaa-sama made Pretty Soldiers. Spirit Energy behind the Pretty Soldiers is very strong and not easily penetrated."

"Why did your mother create Pretty Soldiers when Enma-sama made Spirit Detectives?" Kurama inquired.

"Oh, Okaa-sama thought Spirit Detectives had enough work fighting S and A Class demons entering Human World; she thought while the Spirit Detectives took care of the bigger problems, the Pretty Soldiers would take care of the smaller ones," Koenma explained easily. "That was back in the day when any demon could enter the Human World. Sometimes the Pretty Soldiers would fight alongside Spirit Detectives when a certain problem became too much."

Kurama nodded in understanding. Hundreds of years ago, demons had been a major problem in the Human World. Only in the last three hundred years had the problem been improved. "And you said you haven't seen a Pretty Soldier in Human World in over two centuries. Why is that, Koenma-sama?"

"Well, when the barrier between Human and Demon World went up, fewer and fewer demons appeared in Human World. Eventually, only D or E class demons were causing trouble. Two hundred years back, Okaa-sama decommissioned her last Pretty Soldier and said fun and games were over."

"So why are Pretty Soldiers appearing again?" Yusuke demanded.

"Someone must have entered the vault and taken the transforming devices," Koenma muttered pensively. With a frown, he looked up to the Spirit Detectives. "You must not allow the Pretty Soldiers to take any of your assignments. They don't report to me, so I don't know what they'll do with the demons or souls once they're captured."

"Odd, since they said they would arrest the demon. I assumed that they would bring it back to Spirit World," Kurama murmured thoughtfully. Somewhere he had missed a clue, the redhead knew it. Something was in motion, and he had missed the clue to tell him what was happening. "They seemed to have extensive knowledge on us, Koenma-sama," Kurama said in a louder tone. "We are at a slight disadvantage if they know as much as I suspect."

"Well, if it'll make you feel better, Kurama-san," Koenma answered, "there is a way to discover a Pretty Soldier's identity. But that's the real trick, since once a Soldier's identity is revealed, she cannot transform any more."

All four Spirit Detectives raised an intrigued brow. "And how do we reveal their identities?"

"Remove either their masks or their transformation jewels."

Kazuma scratched his head in curiosity. "What are their transformation jewels?"

Koenma brought down his screen once more and displayed a frozen shot of each Pretty Soldier. He particularly focused on the shot of Red Salvia. He pointed to the sparkling red jewel located right between her—

Kurama and Kazuma blushed and turned away in embarrassment; Hiei stared on, indifferent; Yusuke laughed smugly, unashamed of his lecherous mind.

* * *

"So our mirrors can act as communicators as well?" Yukina asked.

"Yup!" Botan nodded with a merry grin.

The two young ladies strolled along the city streets, Botan treating the ice maiden to a day of shopping. For the last few months, Botan's fortunetelling business had been quite successful, and she had earned quite a fortune (so to speak). The ferry girl had wanted to spend her money on her friends; however, Kazuma and Keiko had school during the day, Shizuru, Kurama, and Yusuke had their jobs, Genkai had constant visitors to her shrine, and Hiei was out of question; thus only sweet, humble Yukina would get to spend Botan's hard earned money.

"What would you like to buy, Yukina-chan?" Botan asked excitedly as the two passed by several clothing boutiques. "Should we get something casual or something a little more sophisticated?"

"I can't possibly make that decision, Botan-chan," Yukina blushed. "All of this is your money, and I wouldn't want to impose."

Smiling, Botan grabbed Yukina's wrist and pulled her into the nearest boutique. "Okay, then we'll buy you some new kimonos!" The storeowners instantly greeted the two ladies as they entered, and upon Botan's instructions, whisked Yukina away to be fitted for two new glamorous kimonos.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Botan opened her Pretty Soldier compact, and George's image greeted her. "Ah,

George, how are you?"

"Botan, I have very important news for you."

"Hm?"

"Koenma-sama told the Spirit Detectives about your masks and transformation jewels."

The ferry girl smiled uneasily. "Oi, that's no good."

The blue ogre nodded in agreement. "Tell the other Soldiers to stay on their guard. There's no need for anyone to take any chances."

"Okay."

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Oi, that'll be someone on the other communicator. I'll talk to you later, George." Digging into her other pocket, Botan brought out the standard Spirit Detective communication compact and opened it. "Hello?"

"Botan!" Koenma yelled in urgency. "I need you to warn Yusuke that a demon is heading straight for Keiko and Kuwabara's school as we speak!"

Staring out of the shop, Botan spotted a powerful ray of Spirit Energy shoot into the sky. Turning back to the communicator, she gave Koenma a nervous smile. "Um, I think Yusuke already knows. But I'll head over there as soon as I can."

"Is everything all right, Botan-chan?" Yukina asked, emerging from the fitting room.

Putting her communicators in her pocket, the sky haired girl answered, "We have to go now." Botan turned to the shopkeepers and said, "We'll be back tomorrow to finish. I'm sorry that we have to run. Please lay those away so I can buy them tomorrow!"

* * *

"Spirit Gun!" A powerful blue blast whizzed by the coarse demon, which dodged the attack at the last moment.

"Damn it," Yusuke cursed. "Stay still, you bastard!"

Kazuma with his Spirit Sword charged towards the monster but got knocked out of the way. Hiei then made his move, his katana ready to slice through the nuisance; however, the demon disappeared before Hiei's very eyes.

Before any of the Detectives could react, the demon grabbed one of the frightened high school students. "Help me!" the human cried out.

"Argh, I've had enough of this guy!" Yusuke growled. His hands got into position and aimed straight for the demon's head. "Spirit G—"

"Wait!" White Apricot jumped in front of Yusuke, the young lady determined to keep him from shooting. Pink Rose stood ready by her side. "You can't shoot! You can't attack that demon!"

"Where the hell did you come from?" Yusuke demanded, lowering his hands.

"And why not?" Kazuma demanded from the white Pretty Soldier.

"He has a hostage!" Red Salvia scolded with an attack ready in her own hands. She had just entered the scene and readily defended her comrades. "We can't risk getting other humans killed. You'll have to wait for the perfect opportunity, when the hostage is free."

"If we don't kill the demon first, then he'll kill the idiot anyway," Hiei replied coldly, pushing White Apricot aside. "This is how the world works."

"Well, then the world sucks and can bite me!" Yellow Peony snapped, pushing through the Spirit Detectives and rushing towards the demon. "That boy is going to be rescued first!"

"And what can you possibly do?" Hiei demanded skeptically.

Holding her right hand with her middle and index finger together in the air, Yellow Peony shouted, "Golden Floral Surround!"

Yellow petals showered from a clear sky. Motioning her fingers towards the demon, Yellow Peony directed her petals to their target. "I thought she just said we couldn't attack the demon!" Yusuke growled. "What does she think she's doing?"

"She's not attacking the demon, dumb ass," Red Salvia retorted. "She's stunning it." Without another word, Red Salvia advanced towards the demon and hostage, White Apricot following her. "Grab the boy, Apricot, and Peony and I will distract the demon."

"Okay!" The white Pretty Soldier followed the orders and ran straight for the human in the demon's clutches, while the red Pretty Soldier moved to the demon's flank. She forced the creature to divert its attention, its mind already somewhat hindered by Yellow Peony's stun-spell.

"But if we save the boy first, then the Spirit Detectives will get the demon," Red Salvia said to Pink Rose. The red Pretty Soldier frowned at the situation. "They'll probably use us as a distraction."

"We can't worry about winning the bet right now," Pink Rose replied. "What matters most above the bet is doing our job, which is saving innocent lives. We can't let that boy die!"

"Yusuke, let's move," Kurama muttered while watching the Pretty Soldiers. Pink Rose was right; the Pretty Soldiers had a responsibility to save lives. Unfortunately for them, since the Spirit Detectives had a responsibility to arrest demons before saving lives, the Pretty Soldiers would not get credit for the arrest. Kurama reached into his fiery mane and pulled out his trademark rose. "This is our chance."

Yusuke nodded. "Right."

"I got him!" White Apricot yelled in triumph, clutching the human boy close to her. She waved at her fellow Pretty Soldiers from a safe distance, as did the grateful rescued young man.

"Good," Pink Rose grinned. "Now all we have to do is—"

"Spirit Gun!"

A bright light filled the air, and moments later, the attacking demon disappeared into oblivion. "Ha, thanks, girls, for distracting the demon like you did," Yusuke chuckled while wiping sweat off his brow. "I wouldn't have been able to hit him otherwise."

"That was our demon!" Yellow Peony protested. "We were supposed to arrest him!"

"You and what army, pansy?" Yusuke demanded.

"Why you little—"

While the yellow Pretty Soldier and main Spirit Detective argued, White Apricot and the young man exchanged words of thanks and gratitude. "Thank you for saving my life," he bowed gratefully. "Your heart is as beautiful as your image."

"Your welcome," White Apricot smiled. Her cheeks glowed pink in embarrassment. "And thank you for your compliment. I'm just sorry you won't remember any of this." Raising her hand in the air, the white Pretty Soldier summoned her powers. "White Blossom Aroma!"

White sparkles filled the air around the school as they lulled the young man and others nearby into unconsciousness. White Apricot caught the young man as he fell, gently lowering him to the ground. "What did she do to everyone?" Kurama asked while observing civilians falling into unconsciousness. He still held his Rose Whip in his hand just in case.

Being the closest Pretty Soldier, Pink Rose responded, "White Apricot used her White Blossom Aroma to wipe away everyone's memories. When they wake up, they won't remember anything about what happened today."

Smirking slightly, the redhead Spirit Detective chuckled, "A rather handy power: you keep the Demon World and Spirit World a secret and maintain order in the Human World."

"Yes." Turning to Kurama, Pink Rose smiled sincerely at the Spirit Detective. "Thank you, Kurama-san, for allowing us to save the boy first," Pink Rose bowed gratefully. "Thank you for understanding and valuing human life."

"You credit me with too much," Kurama said with a blank face. "What makes you think I let you save that boy? We just wanted the demon."

Pink Rose grinned knowingly. "You wouldn't have allowed us to get involved if our intentions weren't the same. If you really had just wanted the demon, then you would have arrested it without waiting for us to rescue the boy."

With an open mouth, Kurama stared at the pink Pretty Soldier in surprise. He felt unnerved by her insight in his character. "Who are you?"

"Rose, let's go!" Red Salvia shouted from atop the trees. "We're going home!"

"All right, I'll be right there!" Returning her attention to Kurama, Pink Rose placed a finger over her lips and answered with a wink, "A superhero can't reveal her secret identity, Kurama-san." And with that, Pink Rose disappeared into the night with the other Pretty Soldiers.

"A superhero, you say?" The redhead smirked while watching the Pretty Soldiers disappear into the night. Making the Rose Whip in his hand return to its original form, Kurama ran a hand through his long locks and chuckled. "I'll find out who you are, Pink Rose—you and the other Pretty Soldiers. I'll see that face beneath that mask of yours. Youko Kurama always completes a challenge."

* * *

"So—"

"What is the verdict?"

Ayame and Hinageshi glanced at each other and sighed. "Well, even though the Pretty Soldiers rescued the young man," Hinageshi said meekly, "the Spirit Detectives are awarded with the victory because they vanquished the demon."

"Ooh." George groaned at his defeat.

"Ha ha!" Koenma laughed triumphantly. "Victory! Victory! 2-0!"

"Koenma-sama, the wager is not over yet," Ayame reminded gently. "George still has time to win. It would be unwise to celebrate just yet."


	5. Chapter V: Rose Soul Recovery!

**Author's Note: **The flowers I chose for the story don't exactly correspond the seasons I matched them with. But everyone will just have to bear it and work with me. I hope everyone finds this chapter just as enjoying as the last.

* * *

**Yu Yu Hakusho: Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!  
Chapter V: Rose Soul Recovery! Pink Rose's Trying Ordeal!**

* * *

"Wah, are you serious George!" all the girls exclaimed.

The blue ogre on the screen nodded. "Regrettably, the Spirit Detectives won the last round because they got the demon before you did. That puts us at 0-2 for Koenma-sama and the Spirit Detectives."

"So Ayame and Hinageshi have decided that," Botan sighed. "It's not a matter of what is done during a mission but who actually completes it."

George nodded. "Correct. Fortunately, I have another assignment for you already. I took it from Koenma-sama's work pile, so he won't miss it until it's too late."

"What is it?" all four girls asked in unison.

"Taiyoko Mikan: age 10, recently deceased, soul has not reported to the Gate of Judgement," the blue ogre read from the file. "It's a standard case, Botan. I'll leave it for you to explain the rest. I need to go now and return this to Koenma-sama's pile. I'm trusting you girls."

The Pretty Soldiers nodded. "Right."

With that, George signed off the communicator. Closing the compact, Yukina replaced her morphing device into the purse Botan had recently bought her. "What does George-san mean by 'standard case'?" the ice maiden asked.

"Well, heh, I guess we're doing my regular job," Botan grinned. "Basically, George just told us that a ten-year old girl has recently died and her soul hasn't gone to Spirit World yet. If we don't help her let go of the Human World and take her to Spirit World, she will become a fixated soul and will eventually disappear from existence."

"So we're just trying to help her come to terms with her death?" Shizuru inquired.

The ferry girl nodded and felt pleased that her friends understood the assignment. "Yes, that's it. All we need to do now is—"

Beep. Beep. Beep.

With a sigh, Botan searched her pockets and then answered the Spirit Detective communicator. "Yes?"

"Oi, Botan, where are you?" Yusuke demanded from the other side. "Koenma just gave us another assignment and we need your help with it. Meet us as Kuwabara's house and we'll explain everything to you there."

"Wah, I'm stuck in the Spirit World right now," she lied with a sheepish smile. "Koenma-sama gave me a lot of paperwork to finish and forbade me from leaving the palace until I finished."

The background behind Yusuke ceased moving as the young man came to a halt. He stared at his assistant in indignant disbelief. "You mean we have to do this ourselves?" Yusuke growled in frustration. "Of course Koenma would screw us over like this! That bastard!"

"What's wrong, Yusuke?" Botan asked.

"Koenma-sama wants us to retrieve a soul," Kurama replied while taking the communicator from Yusuke. He allowed Yusuke to go vent his anger against Koenma while continuing the conversation with Botan. "We were hoping for your aid, since you are well versed at collecting souls."

"Why didn't Koenma-sama just send another ferry girl?"

"We asked the same question," Kurama answered, "and Koenma-sama suggested that this soul might need—how did he put it—forceful persuasion. Also, he is positive that the Pretty Soldiers will be after this soul."

"I'm sorry I can't help," Botan pouted.

"It's all right," Kurama grinned. He gave the ferry girl one of his famous charming smiles, the type that had made his old classmates gush and faint. "Don't worry about it, Botan. We'll handle this."

* * *

Keiko, Yukina, Botan, and Shizuru stood in front of a dark abandoned house.

"Yukina-chan, where are the boys right now?" Keiko asked.

Looking down at her communicator, which also acted as a tracking device, Yukina answered, "They're on the other side of the neighborhood. I think they fell for our decoy."

"Then that'll buy us about ten minutes," Keiko calculated. She brought out her own compact and motioned Botan and Shizuru to do the same. "All right, here's our plan. Botan will enter the house and retrieve the soul, since she's the most experienced and will not likely lose the soul. The rest of us will keep watch and stall the boys when they arrive." When everyone gave her a nod of understanding, Keiko raised her compact into the air. The other girls followed.

"Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!"

Sparkles filled the air and surrounded the girls as they began their transformations. White blossoms surrounded Yukina while a light engulfed her body. She grew in height, her hair growing in length and turning silver. Her white leotard then covered her body, silver skirt, gloves, and shoes appearing afterwards. Apricot blossom earrings and necklace graced the soldier, her brooch appearing on the costume after. The final touch was her silver mask. The Pretty Soldier went into her trademark pose and said sweetly, "I am the Summer Maiden of Purity! Pretty Soldier White Apricot!"

Rose petals showered Botan as her transformation began. Her form did not heighten, but her hair melted from sky to rose, shortened slightly, and curled inwards. Her costume was identical to Yukina's; however, instead of apricot jewelry, roses adorned the pink Pretty Soldier. Once her mask appeared, she winked, posed, and said, "I am the Fall Maiden of Gentility! Pretty Soldier Pink Rose!"

Keiko smiled as yellow peonies bloomed around her. Her brown strands burst into golden locks, her hair pulled into a long ponytail. Her yellow uniform adorned her body while matching peonies ornamented her neck and ears. Her brooch appeared as well did her mask, allowing the Pretty Soldier to go into her pose. "I am the Spring Maiden of Loyalty! Pretty Soldier Yellow Peony!"

Red salvia snaked around Shizuru while her transformation commenced. She changed quickly, her hair growing darker and deeper and becoming blood red. Her crimson uniform gave her a seductive allure, and her salvia jewelry was very becoming. Her mask covered her face and her brooch appeared. Following her fellow Pretty Soldiers, she posed and said, "I am the Winter Maiden of Vitality! Pretty Soldier Red Salvia!"

"All right," Yellow Peony grinned. One of her gloved hands formed a fist in the air. "Let's do this!" The other three Pretty Soldiers nodded and smiled brightly. "Let's save the day!"

* * *

"Are you sure that this is the right one?" Yusuke asked. "It's not another fake like the last five houses?" He and the other three Spirit Detectives stood before a dark abandoned house.

"Trust me, I'm right," Hiei answered while covering his jagan. "I don't guess, like that idiot over there." The fire demon gave Kazuma pointed glare.

"Hiei, we don't have time for this," Kurama scolded. "The Pretty Soldiers are close by and probably are already with the soul. We must retrieve it before they do."

A musical voice laughed in the darkness. "Too bad you're too late!"

Urameshi growled in annoyance. "Damn it, they're already here!"

"Of course," Yellow Peony giggled while descending from the treetops. "Do you think we would allow rough boys like you handle such a delicate situation? A mission like this requires some finesse, which I'm sure you all lack."

"Handle this," Yusuke replied as he shot his Spirit Gun at the Pretty Soldier. Dodging the attack, Yellow Peony summoned one of her own and launched at the Spirit Detective. The other three Spirit Detectives used the distraction and made their way to the home. However, they were stopped by White Apricot and Red Salvia.

"Going somewhere, boys?" Red Salvia smirked with an attack ready in her hands.

"Please, don't interrupt our mission," White Apricot pleaded in a fighting pose.

Hiei unsheathed his katana and motioned Kazuma to bring out his weapon as well. "We'll take care of these nuisances," the fire demon murmured to Kurama. "You go and steal your treasure, thief." Hiei right then rushed at the Pretty Soldiers, distracting their attention for a second. With that time, Kurama dashed passed White Apricot and Red Salvia and entered the house.

* * *

"Ugh, why did I get this job?" the pink Pretty Soldier sighed. "Why couldn't I have done the watch? Walking through this house alone is really creepy." She was presently walking through the haunted mansion, and the atmosphere was doing a job on the Soldier's nerves.

'You're doing this because you're the only one with this kind of experience.'

Pink Rose sighed wearily at her fortune. "Oh yeah, this is my original job. I guess everyone wants a professional to finish the assignment. If someone makes a mistake, then someone else's soul could be at stake." At the notion, the young lady began to wonder who the Detectives would send to retrieve the soul.

"They asked me to do it," the girl murmured, continuing her search for the stray spirit. "Of course, I naturally declined with an excuse; but they still have to retrieve the soul somehow. Who are they going to use?"

At the thought of Yusuke, the young lady frowned. "Well, I guess it wouldn't be so bad if Yusuke were the one. At least he knows what it's like to be a lost soul, so he would be a pretty good choice." Remembering Yusuke's time waiting for his body, Pink Rose admitted, "And he relates really well with lost souls, someway or another."

When Pink Rose thought of Hiei and Kazuma, she reflexively cringed. "Ugh, no! Kuwabara-kun would have no idea how to approach the soul; and Hiei—" The girl stopped herself. "I'm not even going to think about what he would do."

Next person that came into mind was Kurama, and Botan did not know what to think of the former thief. "Maybe he'd make the best choice for their team. He's smart and quick, and his thieving skills might come in handy for this situation."

With that, Botan decided the Spirit Detectives would send Kurama for the mission. Pink Rose would have to work fast or else she would lose another point for George and the Pretty Soldiers; and that was not a choice she was willing to take. After some more searching and wandering, the Soldier finally found the object she was looking for. To a human with a weak sixth sense, the image would be a small ghastly orb fluttering around a small bedroom; however, to a very spiritually attuned individual, a lost girl would be in the orb's place.

"Who are you?" the little girl asked tentatively as Pink Rose neared her. The petite figure hid behind a bedpost frame. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm someone who is going to help you," the Pretty Soldier assured warmly as she held her hand out to the lost soul. "If you take my hand and follow me, I'll take you to Heaven, where all the other good little girls like you are supposed go."

"Another person already told me that, but I didn't believe her either," the little girl pouted, hiding further behind the bedpost. "She promised that I would be happier following her, but she didn't seem honest."

"Well, I'm different than her," Pink Rose grinned. She held out her gloved hand. "I know you must be scared, but I promise that you'll get to Heaven. You probably miss your Otou-san, don't you? You know, he's waiting for you." Smiling warmly, Botan whispered, "He's really sad right now because you haven't come to Heaven yet. But as soon as you get there, he'll be happy, and you'll be just as happy too."

"Honest, Onee-chan?"

A brighter smile lit the Pretty Soldier's face. "Honest."

"I'm Taiyoko Mikan, but you can call me Mikan!" the little girl grinned.

"Heh, it's nice to meet you, Mikan-chan. I'm Pink Rose."

"You're really pretty, Rose 'nee-chan."

"She may be pretty, but I wouldn't trust her if I were you, little one." Pink Rose and the girl turned around and were surprised to see Kurama standing in the doorway.

"Who are you?" the girl questioned uneasily, shuffling towards Pink Rose for safety.

"I'll be the one taking you to Heaven," Kurama replied gently with a smile.

Pushing the little girl behind her, Pink Rose whispered, "I'll protect you, Mikan-chan. Don't trust that fox."

Kurama's smile quickly disappeared while he frowned at the Pretty Soldier's words. "Better to trust me than a girl who has no idea what she is doing."

"Oh, please, like you know what you're doing?" Pink Rose scoffed. "I bet you've never collected a soul in your entire life."

'And she's collected souls before?'

Kurama came face to face with Pink Rose and stared down at the shorter female. "I've done a lot of things," he murmured quietly, "some things you would never imagine or dare to do."

Pink Rose stepped back, took the little girl's hand, and escaped the room. Kurama quickly gave chase, unwilling to lose sight of his prey. "Stop right there!" he ordered. Seeing that Pink Rose had no intention of listening, Kurama flicked some seeds at the two girls and manipulated his Spirit Energy. In five seconds, the Pretty Soldier and runaway soul found themselves entangled in a mass of vines. The redhead Detective strolled towards his captives with a foxy grin. "Now I have you."

Pink Rose struggled to break free, but the vines were too strong. Kurama chuckled at her effort. "It's no use, Pink Rose-san," the young man said. "My Spirit Energy has completely bound you, and you won't be able to break out without being able to use your own Spirit Energy." Kneeling on one knee, Kurama grinned at the Pretty Soldier. His hand moved toward her face. "Now, let's see who you are."

Panicking, Pink Rose kicked at Kurama and used the diversion to summon as much Spirit Energy as she could. When the Spirit Detective's hold slightly weakened from distraction, Pink Rose freed herself and Mikan from the vines and resumed running away. Sensing Kurama behind them, the Pretty Soldier and little girl ducked into a dark corner and disappeared into the shadows. When the Spirit Detective followed, he no longer sensed Pink Rose or the little girl. He could not find a trace of their Spirit Energy.

"Why can't he see us, Rose 'nee-chan?" Mikan asked. She curiously looked down at Kurama from above. "Can he not sense us anymore?"

Pink Rose giggled while directing her oar towards Spirit World and the Gate of Judgment. "Well, honestly, he could, if he tried. But now we're in a different plane, so he won't be able to detect us so easily."

"Do you know Onii-chan?" Mikan asked while holding tightly onto Botan.

"Mm, sort of," she replied with a grin. "We've known each other for some time now, but we haven't had the time to get close. And right now, we're not working with each other, so that puts more distance between us."

Mikan blinked at Pink Rose in confusion. "But why aren't you working together?"

"Well, there's a contest going on between our friends," the Pretty Soldier explained. She shifted slightly in order to steer her oar in the proper direction. "And Kurama-kun and I are on different teams. Maybe after the contest, we'll be friends again." Laughing a little, she continued, "I'm just glad that we got away as fast as we did. Kurama-kun is very strong, and he probably would have taken you away from me if we gave him enough time."

The little girl wanted to ask another question, but something ahead caught her eye. "Wow! Look at that!"

Staring at that direction, Pink Rose grinned. "That's the Gate of Judgment." Urging her oar to go faster, Botan and Mikan soared through Spirit World's skies and arrived at the Spirit World palace in no time. "Now, be good, okay, Mikan-chan?" Pink Rose smiled at her young charge. Ayame waited at the Gate for the little girl.

"I'll be good, don't worry. But Rose 'nee-chan, be nice to that man," the little girl murmured. "He likes you, so don't be too mean to him."

Botan blinked. "He likes me?"

"Well, you said he was very strong," Mikan replied. "If he is that strong, then why didn't he just take me away from you when he caught us?"

"He was distracted."

"Yeah," Mikan grinned mischievously. "He was distracted by you, 'nee-chan. He wanted to find out your secret identity. He forgot all about me."

"But that doesn't mean he likes me, Mikan-chan," Pink Rose reasoned.

"You'll see, Rose 'nee-chan," the little girl giggled while walking away with Ayame. "You'll see in the end. Don't forget that Onii-chan said that you were pretty."

Wondering about Mikan's words, Pink Rose jumped back onto her oar and made her way back to Human World. She reappeared in the house, somewhat distracted by her thoughts. "Could he actually like me?" Pink Rose pondered as she wandered aimlessly through the house. "No, it couldn't be. Kurama-kun wouldn't like someone like me."

'But he did say I was pretty.'

"There you are."

Pink Rose's head shot up in surprise. Kurama stood an inch away from her and promptly looked down at her. "Where is the little girl?"

"She already went to Heaven, so there!" Pink Rose replied, turning the other direction. The ceiling her began to creak and snap, alerting Kurama the danger the Pretty Soldier was in.

"Wait!" As the ceiling began falling, Kurama grabbed her arm and forced her to face him. Unfortunately, as he stepped forward, a loose board snagged his shoe and caused him to fall forward. Kurama could have recovered, but then Pink Rose tripped over a board as well and kicked Kurama's legs beneath him. The two toppled over, Spirit Detective on top of the Pretty Soldier.

Fortunately, no one was harmed.

Unfortunately, the two laid in an awkward position.

Red in the face, Kurama tried to stand up before he found himself in more trouble; it was bad enough he had failed to retrieve the soul, but it was even worse that he had fallen on top of a complete stranger. Placing his hand down in front of him, the young Detective was slightly perturbed when his hand touched something soft instead of the hard ground. Squeezing in curiosity, Kurama turned to see what was so soft beneath his fingers. He paled at his discovery.

Lying below the horrified Spirit Detective, Pink Rose stared in shock at Kurama's hand groping her right breast. Oh, if only the fox had Hiei's speedy reflexes.

SLAP!

"PERVERT!"

"What the hell was that?" Yusuke wondered, turning around in alarm. Everyone froze in his/her positions, disturbed by the loud noise that had just arisen from the home.

Storming out of the house, Pink Rose fumed with fire and pure rage showering behind her. She glared with the intention to kill. "Pretty Soldiers, let's go home!" the warrior barked. "I don't want to deal with these beasts anymore tonight! Especially that PERVERT inside!"

Staring at one another in wonder and shrugging, the other three soldiers followed their furious teammate, the girls sure they would discover the reason for Pink Rose's actions later.

The three Spirit Detectives patiently waited outside for their companion, who hobbled out the home with a dazed expression: a much less dramatic exit than Pink Rose's.

Yusuke whistled at his friend's condition. "Kurama, what happened to you?"

The fox demon, red in the face for two different reasons, sighed dejectedly as he slumped against the wall. "Which bad news would you like first, Yusuke?"

"Um, the better one?"

"We lost the soul to the Soldiers."

"What? What news can possibly be worse than that?" the boys snapped.

"The Pretty Soldiers will probably seek revenge."

"How so?"

"Well, I—"

* * *

"He WHAT?" The three girls stared at Botan in utter shock.

"Botan, you've got to be kidding."

"I'm not."

"But, Kurama-san would never—"

"He's too much of a gentleman!"

Huffing from earlier fury, Botan roared, "Well, he did! And I am never going to forgive him for it! That dirty pervert! If he were really sorry, he would have taken his hand off of me the moment he realized what he was doing; but NO, he just had to keep on squeezing! What a jerk!"

* * *

"Did Onii-chan really do that?" Mikan gasped from Koenma's office.

Koenma groaned with his face in his hands.

"Victory goes the Pretty Soldiers," Hinageshi announced happily. She and Mikan gave each other high-fives. George danced, his hope returning to him.


	6. Chapter VI: Striking Spring Bloom!

**Author's Note: **…I honestly believe I have more fun thinking up the titles for the chapters than writing them out themselves. Well, they, in an aesthetically pleasing manner, do create alliteration.

Also, the quality of this story is substantially less than my others because this is a fun piece—nothing serious like the others. So please just take this story as it is. Thank you.

Please read and review.

* * *

**Yu Yu Hakusho: Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!  
Chapter VI: ****Striking Spring Bloom! Yellow Peony's Premiere Attack!**

* * *

Two shadowed silhouettes stood against the covered moon atop the swaying trees, the wind gently blowing against their figures. As the clouds moved past the celestial orb, Pink Rose and Kurama emerged from the darkness. They did not dare to change the distance between them, their positions speaking their feelings for a peaceful encounter. "Why are you doing this?" the young man murmured, his voice carried by the wind. "What is your purpose in this world?"

"We were summoned by the Spirit World," the Pretty Soldier replied. She smiled. "Don't be angry: we're only doing our job."

Kurama's emerald eyes narrowed, but his face remained expressionless. "Wouldn't it be better for us to work with each other? Our goals are the same."

"It would be better if we worked with each other," she agreed with a nod, "but that is not our mission."

"Pink Rose, we do not have to fight."

Turning away from the Spirit Detective, the Pretty Soldier jumped into the air and flew away into the night. "I'm sorry, Kurama-san, but according to Koenma-sama, we do."

* * *

"Botan-chan, what you did last night was very dangerous," Shizuru scolded.

"What if the others were waiting to ambush you?" Keiko demanded. "They could have tag-teamed you and taken away your mask or your jewel!"

"Kurama-san, after all, said that he wanted to discover your identity," Yukina added quietly. "And he is the cleverest of the four Spirit Detectives. He is probably the most dangerous due to that."

The blue haired girl sighed while being reprimanded by three others all at once. She gave each panel in her communicator a sincere apology. "I'm sorry. I should have told everyone about it sooner, but I think Kurama-kun can be trusted when he says he just wants to talk," Botan said with a sheepish smile. "He adheres to his honor code, and at least we know that he told the truth. Plus, he didn't do anything last night other than talk from his side, so all is well, ne?"

"Okay, well, I have to get back to work," Shizuru sighed tiredly. "Botan-chan, don't do anymore secret meetings, okay? At least, don't have any without us knowing. We can't afford any losses when the competition is so close."

"Okay, okay." With that, Shizuru signed off her communicator, and her panel disappeared.

"Yeah, lunch is almost over, so I have to get going too," Keiko said while taking a quick glance over her shoulder. She heard her classmates calling her name. "I'll see everyone at Genkai 'baa-san's later. Ja ne!"

"Bye, Botan-chan. Please take care." Yukina and Keiko signed off together, allowing Botan to finally close her compact and release a relieved sigh. Putting away her Pretty Soldier communicator, the young woman relaxed and enjoyed her fruity beverage.

"What are you doing here, Botan?"

"Huh?" Looking up from her drink, Botan found herself staring into dark green eyes and a handsome face framed by scarlet locks. "Ah, Kurama-kun!" She panicked slightly, wondering if he had seen her speaking with the other girls. "What are you doing here?"

"Ne, that was my question," the young man grinned while taking a seat across from Botan. He flagged a waiter and ordered a drink. Returning his attention to the lady, he said, "Well, are you going to answer, Botan?"

"Ah, I'm taking a break right now," she replied happily. Since he did not ask about the communicator, he must have not seen—thank heavens for that! "I recently finished that work Koenma-sama had assigned to me, so I figured that a day in Human World would be nice."

"Ah, yes, I remember," Kurama murmured thoughtfully. "You couldn't accompany us on our last assignment because of all that work. Well, I'm glad you're finished." The waiter returned with Kurama's beverage, and Botan waited for the human to leave hearing range.

"So, why are you here, Kurama-kun? Don't you have work today?"

"Ah, like you, I just finished a lot of work and decided to take a break." He gave the ferry girl a small smile. "I didn't expect to meet anyone though—what good fortune, ne, Botan?"

"I guess," she blushed. Would the others scold her for this unexpected meeting? Well, technically, they could not. At the moment, Kurama had unexpectedly met her; plus, she was doing her job by maintaining her cover—none of the Spirit Detectives suspected her of being the mole in their operations.

"How is your work coming, Kurama-kun?"

"Eh, probably less tedious than yours but just as difficult," he sighed while relaxing against the seat. "Otou-san's business is going fairly well, so that's not much to worry about." With narrowed eyes, he muttered darkly, "And it was fairly simple just collecting demons as they appeared in Human world; but now, with those Pretty Soldiers running about, it's become a race to see who apprehends the fugitives first."

The ferry girl felt a prickle go down her spine at Kurama's sudden change of tone. "Ah, I heard about that from Spirit World. What's going on with that? Koenma-sama wouldn't give me any details because he's so busy right now."

"Well, apparently, the Pretty Soldiers were created to help Spirit Detectives manage rogue demons centuries ago," Kurama willingly explained, setting his drink down. "However, Koenma-sama's mother disbanded them once the barrier between Demon World and Human World was put in place."

"Yeah, there haven't been Pretty Soldiers in Human World for a while," she confirmed with a nod. "And it's kind of strange that there are some right now when we have the strongest Spirit Detectives in history commissioned."

"Perhaps once we apprehend them, we may get our answers."

Botan frowned at the pleased grin on Kurama's face, unsure of its meaning or its intent. Did he want to see Pink Rose again? Did he want another go at her? Had he not learned his lesson the last time he had inappropriately touched her? "What will you do with them if you catch them, Kurama-kun?" she asked as innocently as she could.

He shrugged. Looking down at his watch, he apologized and told her that he had to leave. He gave her a gorgeous smile. "I'll see you again later, Botan."

"Ah, later, Kurama-kun," she smiled while she waved farewell. 'Too bad when you see me again, you won't be nearly as happy.'

* * *

Loudly slamming the door aside, Keiko stormed into the living where the other Pretty Soldiers waited. Botan, Yukina, and Shizuru glanced at each other in question, each girl wondering why Keiko was furious. After a moment of tense silence, Yukimura finally stated her mind. "I can't stand Yusuke!" Keiko growled as she clenched her fists tightly. "Gr, he's such a jerk!"

"Ah, what happened, Keiko-chan?" Yukina asked tentatively.

"He's—he's just being so frustrating!" she shrieked in frenzy. "He thinks that I'm being flirtatious and provocative, purposely getting other guys' attentions." She grabbed a couple of cookies from the plate and munched on them vigorously. "Why in the world is he getting jealous over classmates?"

"Ne, since when does Yusuke get jealous?" Botan laughed.

"I don't know but—really, why is he like this?"

"All men are like that," Shizuru chuckled to her younger friend. "You just have to learn to accept it."

"But why so suddenly now?" Keiko demanded. "He's never been like this before."

Unfortunately for Keiko, their communicators beeped and interrupted her time for venting and receiving answers. As the four young women opened their individual compacts, a blue ogre's face appeared on their screens. At first, George noticed his yellow Pretty Soldier glaring at him darkly with the sourest expression: he almost cried in gut reaction. However, after Botan and Yukina's warmest assurances that Keiko was not mad at him, he moved on to explain his sudden call.

"Girls, I forgot to tell you that a part of this competition is to attack the Spirit Detectives."

Yukina, Keiko, and Shizuru's hairs stood on end as the three could not believe their ears. Together they yelled at their commander, "What? Are you crazy? Why would we want to attack them? That's suicide. I'd rather—"

"Wait!" he pleaded against the screens, hoping to save his ears. "Let me explain!" When the Pretty Soldiers quieted, George breathed a sigh of relief and began telling the girls the details. "It's not a mass attack, but more like a one-on-one match—one Pretty Soldier versus one Spirit Detective: nothing too complicated or difficult."

Shizuru scoffed at the crazy idea. "How in hell are we going to pull that off?"

At that moment, Botan pulled a file out of a bag and held it up with a devious smile. "This is a false report George and I worked together to make," she giggled very happily. "We spent a lot of time making this look as official as possible so that Koenma-sama won't even notice that it's a fake before it's too late."

She opened the file and showed its contents to her teammates. "This will be our bait for the boys—and they won't suspect a thing because Koenma-sama will have given them the order. And Koenma-sama won't realize it until the Spirit Detectives do." She laughed with a foxy grin. "It'll be easy planting this in Koenma-sama's office."

"Don't you think we're playing a little dirty by doing this?" Shizuru questioned. "If we think about this, we have the advantage in everything but experience. We know the boys' identities, their attacks, their weaknesses, and anything else."

"And that is our right," Keiko stated firmly. "We're here to prove that we're capable." She grinned at the communicator. "Don't worry, George-san. We got this. And I know which Spirit Detective we're going to get first."

* * *

Casually walking together, four young men strolled through the night. As they neared a bayside warehouse, the redhead spoke up, "Are you sure that Koenma-sama wanted this?"

"He called me some minutes ago and said that there was a C-class demon hiding out here that's been causing some major problems," Yusuke answered. He stopped in front of the door that said F-4. "He wanted us to deal with it and report to him later about it."

"Then why am I required here?" Hiei demanded gruffly, his arms crossed. "It doesn't even take one of us to deal with something as pointless as that."

"You're taking him back to Demon World for us," the Detective responded.

"Why not just kill him for being an idiot? Isn't that the law of the land: survival of the fittest?"

Shaking his head, Kurama put a hand on Hiei's shoulder and said, "Koenma-sama wants this demon a live, for one reason or another. We should do our best to listen and keep from killing it as reasonably possible." Then returning his attention to Urameshi, he nodded, "Go on ahead."

Nodding in response, Yusuke opened the door and the four of them walked into the warehouse.

An eerie feeling seeped through the doorway.

"I have a bad feeling about this," the leader muttered, the door slamming shut behind the group.

"It's a trap," Kurama murmured, his emerald eyes narrowing.

The floor beneath them lit up as a spiritual seal activated. Immediately, the Spirit Detectives felt their energies constricted and bound.

"And you fell for it." The four Pretty Soldiers giggled from their perches. White Apricot and Pink Rose sat with their right leg crossed over their left on the bottom tier; Red Salvia leaned against a tower of crates a little further in the back; the leader Yellow Peony stood on top of the pyramid with her arms crossed.

Red Salvia turned to Pink Rose and snickered, "Don't you hate it when people state the obvious?"

'These a strong spiritual seals—where in the world did they get something so powerful? Ah, I bet Hiei is rather unhappy right now.' Kurama tried ignoring Hiei's murderous glare trying to burn a hole in the back of his head and instead tried focusing on their present situation.

"What do you want from us?" he demanded from the Pretty Soldiers. "I thought you were after demons and criminals that have escaped from Spirit World. Why are you attacking us?" He rested his gaze on Pink Rose, hoping to convey his feelings of betrayal and now mistrust. She returned his stare without falter but did not say a word.

"We're not interested in fighting the rest of you," Yellow Peony explained for her companions. "I only want to battle him!" She pointed at Yusuke, causing the other Detectives to laugh.

"Wow, of all the people you want to fight, you sure picked the wrong guy!" Kazuma snorted. "Not only is he the strongest out of the four of us, he's not afraid to hit girls!"

"I think she can handle him," Red Salvia chuckled, jumping to the ground and roughly elbowing Kazuma in the gut. The young man abruptly silenced and gave the Pretty Soldier a glower. "After all, it isn't her first time dealing with guys like him."

"What?"

"Are you ready to fight, Spirit Detective?" Yellow Peony demanded, stepping into the middle of the room. Yusuke stared at his hands in wonder as he felt his Spirit Energy returned to him. Which Pretty Soldier was controlling the seal? "Or would you rather run away?"

Seeing that there was no other choice, he got into a fighting position and readied himself. He would count on his friends to free themselves. "I'm going to go easy on you."

"I don't care." When Yusuke disappeared from sight, Yellow Peony smirked quietly, "Perfect."

Kurama heard her comment and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Yusuke's opponent was far too confident for it to be arrogance or ignorance. She had a relaxed stance and displayed no fear at all. "Something is not right."

Suddenly, a painful yell was heard and a body slammed against the wall. "Yeah! Good hit, Urameshi!" Kazuma cheered from his bonds.

"Idiot," Hiei snapped, "that was the Detective that just got hit."

"What?"

Pink Rose and White Apricot giggled at Kazuma's clueless expression. "Not everything is as it seems," the white maiden smiled knowingly.

"Damn it," they heard Yusuke hiss, "that hurt."

"Yusuke, be careful," Kurama warned. "This isn't a normal battle."

He nodded in response to his friend's warning and concentrated on finding his opponent. In the darkness of the warehouse, he could not see her: well, until the light caught her golden form just slightly—"Got you! Spirit Gun!"

Yellow Peony quickly dived behind some crates and narrowly missed being hit by the large mass of spiritual energy. It hit the spiritual barrier and disappeared, the shield absorbing the Spirit Energy and strengthening itself. For a brief second, a familiar seal shimmered on the barrier.

The black fire demon snorted. "Kurama."

"I saw."

"What?" Kazuma inquired, turning his head left and right. "What did you guys see?"

Jumping and kicking, Yusuke kept the Pretty Soldier in his sights and analyzed her movements. Just when he noticed her pattern, he missed a step and momentarily lost his balance. Ironically Yellow Peony decided at that moment to alter her movements and turned to face her Spirit Detective. What both actions resulted: Yusuke's face snuggling Yellow Peony's breasts.

Before he even had a second to register his situation or even remotely enjoy it, the Pretty Soldier shrieked and punched him into the ground. "Golden Floral Surround!" she sent after the flying Detective.

"Spirit Shotgun!" he countered, avoiding the majority of the stunning petals. However, a few passed through his barrage of Spirit Energy, and he felt his limbs going numb. "Damn it…" He hissed as he landed on the ground in a kneeling position. "This isn't good—I'll have to get from behind."

Shaking off the effects from the floral attack, the Spirit Detective sprinted upwards and disappeared before the girl's very eyes. Before she could exclaim, he reappeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her body to hold her. Unused to battling developed women, his hands inconveniently—for Yellow Peony—groped her breasts.

Yusuke had made his final mistake. "PERVERT!"

Her fury granting her greater powers, Yellow Peony grabbed Yusuke's left arm, flipped him over her shoulder, and slammed him into the ground. The crevice was immensely deep; however, it was not the end. Kicking the delinquent into the air, Yellow Peony leaped after her target and kneed Yusuke back into the ground, shooting some of her Peony Blossom Blasts after him.

Amazingly, Yusuke rose to his feet and tried to grab his opponent, but she was ready for him. SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

"Don't ever touch me again, freak!"

When Yusuke's body finally crashed to the ground, Yellow Peony retreated back to her fellow Pretty Soldiers. "And ladies and gentlemen, we have a match," Pink Rose announced. With a few motions of her gloved hands, she dispelled the trap and released the Detectives' Energy and broke down the barrier.

"We'll see you boys later," Red Salvia winked with a smirk, the girls disappearing in a shower of petals and shadows.

As Kazuma rushed to help Yusuke to his feet, he wondered, "What the hell was that about? What in the world did they want from us?"

"I don't know," Yusuke wheezed while brushing himself off and wiping away grime. "We need to contact Koenma."

* * *

In the Spirit World at the Gate of Judgment, a prince and an ogre verbally attacked each other, both unwilling to yield.

"It doesn't count!"

"It does so!"

"Does not!"

"Does too!"

"That does not constitute as a match! No way!"

"She challenged him, he accepted, they fought, and he lost. It's a very fair match, Koenma-sama," George firmly stated, banging his fists on the prince's desk. "It's a victory for the Pretty Soldiers."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"It is too!"

They turned to the judges. With a heavy sigh, Ayame calmly explained, "According to the agreement first made, an attack on individual members from each team is an acceptable victory. Yellow Peony challenged Yusuke to a match and he accepted it; he lost to her. Thus, the Pretty Soldiers have won this round."

"That makes the score 2 all," Hinageshi grinned. "You're both tied."

"Not for long!" George and Koenma shouted at the same time.


	7. Chapter VII: Devious Detective Design!

**Author's Note: **I need my pretty girl vs. tough guy fix. Hopefully I will update this more regularly, especially since that this story is not that very long. Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoys this and laughs with me. Please excuse the sparse writing and keep in mind that this is all for laughs.

* * *

**Yu Yu Hakusho: Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!  
Chapter VI****I****: ****Devious Detective Design! Spirit Detectives' Furious Counterattack!**

* * *

As the four Spirit Detectives walked through the towering Gate of Judgment, one of them asked suddenly, "Don't you find this somewhat bizarre?"

Without slowing their strides, two boys asked together, "What do you mean?"

Kurama sighed and slightly slacked his pace as he wandered further into his thoughts. "Yusuke has never lost to anyone from Spirit World or Human World, especially someone as inexperienced as Yellow Peony. In fact, Yusuke should have been able to defeat all the Pretty Soldiers alone without any sort of assistance. He would only have to use thirty-percent of his Spirit Energy at most."

"Well, whatever Yellow Peony puts behind her attacks," Raizen's unruly descendant murmured while rubbing his cheek in memory, "it hurts like shi—"

"Especially a girl! Of all things, Urameshi lost to a girl!" Kazuma exclaimed in fury. Pulling at some of his orange hair in frustration, he turned to his friend indignantly. "How can you lose like that? Wasn't your power ranking level-S? Aren't you a man? Where's your pride?"

"Yes," Hiei smirked. For once against heaven and earth, he agreed with Kazuma. "The only woman you've ever lost to is your woman." He did not bother to mention that he was not one to talk—he lost to Mukuro after all.

With that comment, Kurama's face darkened. "Indeed."

Ignoring the attack on his manly pride, Yusuke noticed the darker expression and asked, "Hey, Kurama, what's wrong?"

"Don't you find it suspicious that Yusuke, one of the most powerful humans and one of the most powerful demons in the history of existence would lose to an amateur like Yellow Peony?" A hand on his chin, the fox began rotating the gears of his vast intelligence. "If these girls like Koenma-sama says were only commissioned recently as Pretty Soldiers, it's impossible for them to have amassed enough field experience to defeat Yusuke—even with their powers combined at their maximum. And if they were seasoned fighters or spiritualists, we would already know these individuals due to our line of work."

"So what are you saying?"

"The Pretty Soldiers feel far too comfortable with us. They know a lot about us, but we barely have any information on them." His grassy orbs narrowing with deep suspicion, he muttered, "I wonder if the Pretty Soldiers aren't girls that we already know—we just haven't connected them to their alternate identities yet."

"What girls do we know that can stand a chance against any of us? And Genkai doesn't count." At the thought of his master, Urameshi shivered and grumbled, "She's far too old to go about and fight demons—actually, she's just plain too old to be one of them."

With Yusuke's firm and valid point, Kurama could not answer the question; moreover, he did not want to discuss the matter further since the four of them had reached Koenma's office. "We will talk about this more later."

"Eh? Why not discuss this with Koenma-sama?" Kazuma inquired. "He could help us, couldn't he?"

"Koenma-sama is keeping information from us; it's only fair that we suspect him as well." And in a blink, Kurama's expression had lost its cutting glower and became a blank slate once again. The other Detectives made no comment about their fear of his expert emotional control as they followed him into the prince's office. When they entered, they found the cherub form dressed in a jogging suit and furiously stamping away at documents while his ogre attendants eagerly cheered him on and replenished his stack of paperwork.

"Go, Koenma-sama!"

"You're doing good! Only 200 left to do to complete your goal!"

"Pace yourself! You still have fifteen minutes left!"

George, standing a little to the side, noticed the Spirit Detectives and quickly welcomed them into the office. He pulled them to the less noisy and chaotic portion of the room. "Hey, what's going on here?" Yusuke asked while jabbing a thumb towards the crowd.

"Koenma-sama made a wager with the ferry girls: if he can finish 1000 documents before the next break, then they will show us the special ferry girl dance that they only perform every two hundred years." The blue ogre sighed as the crowd moaned about a mistake they had made. "Of course, if Koenma-sama loses, then we don't get to see the dance for 1000 years."

"It must be an incredible dance for Koenma-sama to be so motivated to work," the redhead human chuckled, "and for you to lament about its possible loss."

'Koenma-sama seems to like making wagers,' he thought to himself. He frowned as his brain tickled at a hint of something he could not quite remember. 'Another wager? A bet? What was it exactly?'

"Well, definitely your opinion about each of them changes when you see each girl dance," George shrugged with a smug smile. His gaze turned a bit dreamy as he remembered a particular one. "The last dance was Botan's debut, and she took everyone by surprise; she's been the fan favorite ever since then. No one had any interest in her before then."

"Sounds interesting—I wonder if we'll be around to see it," Urameshi chuckled. He and the others watched in amusement as they waited for the outcome. After a few more minutes, a buzzer went off and the crowd at the desk wailed at their awful defeat. Ayame, Hinageshi, and many other unrecognizable ferry girls waltzed into the office for the verdict.

Calmly and gracefully, the elegant woman said, "You lost, Koenma-sama."

The ogres and prince groaned. "We were so close!" they cried together.

"Not even!" a fair-haired ferry girl exclaimed.

"That's Yuri," George quickly explained to the Detectives. "She was Botan's classmate during training and she's a fairly good dancer too—she was one of the best before Botan."

"Even if you had finished stamping all of the papers," she scolded, "you still would have lost the bet. We said if you completed 1000 documents CORRECTLY then we would do the dance. While we were checking the work you had finished, a third if not more of it was wrong."

"Ah well," Hinageshi grinned behind her white sleeves. "I guess I won't be debuting for another millennium then."

"Koenma-sama! Do something!" an ogre pleaded desperately.

"Please, Koenma-sama! I can't wait another thousand years!"

"Koenma-sama!"

George cleared his throat loudly and motioned towards the Spirit Detectives. "Koenma-sama, the Detectives are here to report to you about the incident earlier."

With a heavy sigh, Koenma motioned for his employees to leave while saying, "We'll deal with this later. Everyone get back to work and we'll talk about this once business hours are done." The ogres grumbled while leaving, the ferry girls giggling at their disgruntled expressions.

George naturally remained within the office—until Koenma coldly glared at him to leave. The head ogre sighed and left the office as well, realizing that his employer did not want George listening to their conversation about the Pretty Soldiers. Obviously, Koenma wanted to minimize the advantage George had and claim the tie-breaker. No matter, the ogre decided. He would send in his secret weapon.

Once the office completely cleared out, the Spirit Detectives began their report. Very quickly Yusuke summarized what transpired between Detectives and Soldiers, not wanting to go into detail about his defeat. Fortunately for him, Kurama had urgent questions to ask after the report so no one could dwell too long on that fact. "Koenma-sama, I thought that the Pretty Soldiers worked with Spirit Detectives to bring order to Human World. So why did they deliberately attack us?"

"I'm not sure," Koenma lied with a straight face. "But what I think they're doing is playing for power."

"What?"

The brunette released a deep sigh and explained, "These girls are trying to establish their place right now—even though they are clearly unnecessary with your lot commissioned. So what they're trying to do is prove themselves."

"So what is the plan then?" Kurama asked. "How do we keep these girls from attack us again?"

"What if you set them up, like what they did to you?"

"Huh?"

"For this recent case and the previous one, the one involving the girl's spirit, the Pretty Soldiers have thrown you guys on a loop. With the former, they gave us a false file so that we would believe it to be an urgent case. And because of that, they easily led you into the trap. With the latter case, they were able to keep you at bay long enough to give them a rather large advantage over you."

"But if we were to use that technique, then—"

At that point in time, Botan conveniently burst into the office. "Yusuke, are you all right?" she asked while worriedly rushing over to him.

"Eh?"

"Ayame, Hinageshi, and George told me that you looked beaten when you came in—and I was worried," she explained while looking up and down at him. "You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he laughed, pulling the girl into a sideways hug. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad—just a small tussle."

"Oh, that's a relief," Botan sighed with a smile. They both laughed at the worry and anxiety she had felt and continued chatting to reassure him of his wellness. Kurama watched them in curiosity.

Clearing his throat, Koenma recaptured the Detectives' attentions. "Anyway, I'll have a file prepared that will most undoubtedly lure the Pretty Soldiers in. You boys just have yourselves ready."

"Yes, Koenma-sama." Kurama bowed respectively while the others simply filed out of the large office.

With a cute, curious expression, Botan followed the Spirit Detectives out of Koenma's office and into the hall. "Eh? What's going on? Do you guys have another case to work on already?"

Yusuke grinned while giving her a V-sign. "We're seeking vengeance."

"Eh?"

Chuckling, Kurama better explained, "We're going to ambush the Pretty Soldiers and force their surrender."

"Ah, I see," she nodded in understanding.

"Would you care to assist us?"

"I'm sorry," she grinned weakly. "I wish that I could, especially since I haven't been helping you guys a lot on your cases recently. But I have a lot to do in Spirit World and can't really go and do anything else until I finish all of this work."

"It's all right, we understand." The redhead placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder and gave her a kind grin. "Just be sure that you don't overwork yourself."

"Ah, no worries," she answered with spirit. "Just be sure that you guys deal with the Pretty Soldiers, okay?" As the hall branched off into many directions, Botan pointed towards the opposite direction. "Well, this is where I leave you guys. Have a safe trip back, okay? And tell me what happens."

"No problem."

* * *

"Why would the Pretty Soldiers possess such a complex and powerful Spirit seal?"

Kurama sighed while thinking of all the mysteries surrounding the four girls and their reasons for battling the Detectives. He did not understand them, regardless of how he tried.

His thoughts then shifted to the pink Pretty Soldier and his feelings for her—or, at least, what he thought were his feelings towards her. He trusted her and still did, even though she and her comrades had ambushed them. Saying that she lost some of his trust would be lying: by nature, Kurama always suspected everyone and anyone and never completely trusted a person until he had absolutely proven himself. So he felt no actual betrayal from Pink Rose.

"I swear all you ever have on your mind are flowers."

Kurama chuckled. "Good evening to you, too, Hiei."

He only snorted in reply as he closed Kurama's window behind him. "You should keep your distance from that girl, Kurama."

"Really? Why so much concern?"

Hiei snorted at such a stupid question. "That Spirit seal should be answer enough."

"Do you know who she is?"

"No." The small fire demon fidgeted.

Of course, Kurama noticed his discomfort and grinned in amusement. "Could you probe their minds with your Jagan?"

Hiei frowned. "I could."

"Would you?"

"Never."

The fox laughed at the vehemence and resolution in Hiei's voice. "Why not?"

"This situation doesn't gravely require that I do so."

"So, this entire thing is a game, is it?" Kurama smirked, the young man glad for that smallest confirmation. "Now I'm even more determined to know who she and the others are."

"Idiot," his friend sighed tiredly, "I'm telling you to keep your distance."

"Duly noted."

"Hopeless fox."

* * *

"Is everything clear in your area?"

Kurama's solemn voice answered, "Yes, I don't sense anything."

"How about yours?"

Hiei snorted. "Nothing."

Kuwabara's voice then whispered loudly into the communicator, "Wait—I sense them! Here they come."

Immediately, Yusuke responded, "We'll meet you there."

"Man, too bad White Apricot and Red Salvia had to work. I'm sure they would have liked to haul in this demon too."

"Well, what can we do?" Pink Rose shrugged. "We're humans—we have lives to lead and Spirit World to keep secret. It wouldn't do if people began suspecting them for paranormal reasons."

With a smile and a nod that Yusuke found familiarly endearing, Yellow Peony said, "You're right."

The Spirit Detectives found it appropriate at that moment to step out from their hiding spots and have the Pretty Soldiers surrounded. "We got you now."

"Are you sure?" Yellow Peony giggled, her stance declaring her overwhelming self-confidence. "Because I'm sure we have you."

"Or, at least one of you," Pink Rose laughed with her.

Yusuke and Kurama looked around in curiosity. "Hey, where's Kuwabara?"

"Wasn't he standing right next to you?"

The two turned to Hiei who simply shrugged. "Do I look like I care?"

"What did you do to him?" Urameshi growled in annoyance.

"Nothing, really," the soldiers giggled. "He got lost on his own."

Verdant eyes narrowed suspiciously while a biting cold voice stated, "So you ladies know where he is."

"Well, we knew where he was," Pink Rose answered the redhead. She snorted at the disgruntled expression on his usual poker face. "Where he is now, well, that's going to be a bit difficult to find out."

"A bit difficult" was an understatement. To throw off any possible trails of Kazuma's Spirit Energy, Red Salvia and White Apricot put spiritual seals and charms in every direction to hide and secure their secret location. Once that was done, they turned to face their bound and gagged prisoner.

"It was easier than expected to steal him away from the others." The fair female warrior smiled sheepishly at her companion. "I'm glad that we were so successful without much trouble."

"Well, he's not really a major powerhouse, so it's no surprise," Red Salvia cackled pleasantly. "After Yellow Peony's attack on Urameshi, they probably thought that we would target Hiei or Kurama next. Who would have suspected us coming after this idiot?"

Kazuma glared at her in annoyance and screamed his feelings through the gag. "Ooh uid icht! Ow air ooh!"

Ignoring the boy's noises, Apricot inquired, "Do you think that they can handle the three of them long enough?"

"Eh, they have a Spirit seal, so it should be just long enough. I'm sure Pink Rose has it all covered. Well, let's get down to business to avoid any of that trouble."

With a quick movement of their hands, the Soldiers triggered a spell and released Kazuma from his gag and bonds; they stepped away from him and gave him enough space. "What the hell are you two up to?" the young man demanded as he freed himself from the lingering ropes.

"We're not up to anything," Red Salvia replied saucily. She stepped away from them and grinned cattily at White Apricot. "But she's going to do something."

White Apricot stepped towards Kazuma with determined pale eyes. "Fight me!"

"Eh?" The young man stared at the Pretty Soldier in confusion. However, once he got over the initial shock of the abrupt challenge, he stubbornly answered, "I refuse to fight a girl!" But then again... hadn't Koenma told the Detectives that they needed a victory over the Pretty Soldiers? That and... his pride as a man wouldn't allow the challenge to go unanswered. "Fine, I'll fight! But I won't hit you as hard as I hit guys!"

"Please don't look down on me," she said while she launched an attack towards him. "Snow Petal Blizzard!"

Relying on reaction and instinct, Kazuma summoned his Spirit Swords and fended off White Apricot's attacks. Once he knocked them out of the way, he charged towards the Pretty Soldier to completely immobilize her. Seeing his intentions, Apricot then summoned her specialty attack, "Blooming Allusion!" and managed to disguise her whereabouts within the dark mist.

Kazuma cursed at his inability to sense through the fog and wondered where she was.

It was White Apricot's advantage—that is, until she lost track of the young man and lost herself within her own attack. Fortunately for them, when they stood five feet near each other, they sensed the other's spiritual aura. Without holding anything back, they ran towards each other ready to attack. They collided and landed in a heap.

As the fog cleared, Kazuma stood over White Apricot, his sword ready to strike. However, when he looked into her white misty eyes, he felt his resolve shatter and his guilt eating away at his gut. White Apricot wasted no time in attacking Kazuma and having him at her mercy.

"I'm sorry things had to be this way," she apologized to the Detective. "But we need to win." After stunning him, she aimed her final attack. "Snow Petal Blizzard!" Being at such a close range, none of the energy blasts missed, and Kazuma's feet were firmly frozen to the ground.

"It's a Pretty Soldier's win," Red Salvia announced while she and Apricot dashed away. Before she completely disappeared in her shower of red petals, Salvia muttered, "You would have won, idiot, if you hadn't given up from the beginning."

Kazuma said nothing and slouched in his place while thinking of his loss. At that moment, the other Spirit Detectives came rushing to the scene. Just recently had Yellow Peony and Pink Rose retreated, leaving them free to search for their kidnapped friend. Fortunately for them, he had not been too far away.

Yusuke shook his head at his friend's sorry state and guessed what had happened. "So what was it about me losing to a girl?"

"You can't blame me!" Kazuma fumed while Kurama helped free him from his icy binds. "Not only was she a girl, but she was one of the sweetest creatures that ever existed in this world." He dramatically began weeping about his cruel fate. "Oh, for us to be enemies and unable to express our sweet love to one another!"

"Hey, what happened to Yukina? Did you so easily forget about her?"

"How could I ever forget about sweet Yukina?"

"You're an idiot!"

"You're a bigger idiot!"

While Yusuke and Kazuma argued, Kurama and Hiei quietly discussed the past events. "They knew our plan and instead ambushed us again," the fox demon sighed wearily. "They have now two victories against us in their name."

"Although a victory against that idiot shouldn't be considered anything," Hiei grumbled beneath his breath.

"How did they find out about our plan?"

"Obviously a mole."

"But who?"

"Who else?"

Kurama frowned at the straightforward stare in Hiei's red eyes, knowing that his friend was deathly serious. "Botan? But she's in Spirit World right now."

The little demon smirked, "Are you sure?"

"What are you trying to say, Hiei?"

"Nothing—I'm just finding it interesting how quickly you defend that bubble head when she's the most obvious answer right now," he shrugged while walking away. He already had enough of Human World for today; he was ready to return home.

"Well, then let's return to Spirit World right now and see if what you say stands," Kurama tested, not yet willing to let the topic go.

Annoyed, Hiei glared at him and reluctantly agreed. "Fine."

* * *

"Why aren't I allowed to know who the Pretty Soldiers are?" Koenma pouted while beating his fists against the top of his desk.

Feeling no sympathy for the toddler-form of his employer, George shrugged and answered, "I offered you their files when we started the wager, Koenma-sama, but you said that you wouldn't need to know because the Spirit Detectives were sure to win."

"But now I want to see them!"

"Sorry, Koenma-sama, but you can't," George chuckled mischievously. "You refused once and that's final. Besides, my girls have never seen the Spirit Detectives' files."

"But they know who they are?"

"I made it a point to tell them. After all, they're about to go against the strongest group of Detectives known in history; they deserve a heads up." He smiled happily at the two present ferry girls. "Isn't this great? The Pretty Soldiers are finally in the lead! It looks like they just might win this bet after all."

"Not if I can do anything about this!" the prince shouted furiously, standing up in his chair. He glared straight into the eyes of his aide. "The Spirit Detectives WILL win this!"

"Well, the score so far is 3-2, George-san!" Hinageshi laughed. "I wonder who will win in the end?"

"I WILL!" the ogre and prince shouted.


	8. Chapter VIII: Romance Second Chance!

**Author's Note: **Okay! We're almost done! Just a few more chapters to go and the Lovely Adventures of the Pretty Soldiers will come to an end. Anyway, I hope that you've enjoyed the last chapters and will enjoy this new installment. Please read and review!

* * *

**Yu Yu Hakusho: Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!  
Chapter VI****II: ****Romance Second Chance! ****Pretty Soldier Identities Revealed!**

* * *

"Wait, you think Botan betrayed us?" Yusuke gave Kurama a dark glare. "What are you trying to pull here?" He stomped towards Koenma's office with added agitation.

"_Hiei_ made a point to think that Botan is the only one possibly to give away our plan," the redhead said pointedly. "I would like to put faith in Botan and believe she is innocent."

"You better hope so."

'Does he have feelings for Botan?' An uneasy feeling took root in Kurama, and he could not explain the reason why. He knew very well that Yusuke had always been close to Botan, much closer than any of the Spirit Detectives ever hoped to become with her. But Kurama also knew that Yusuke loved Keiko with all he had and would remain ever faithful to her, so that eliminated any possible romances with other women. However—would that prevent Urameshi from still feeling so strongly for the ferry girl?

'Why should I be so concerned?' Kurama mentally sighed at his thoughts. He, after all, only had interest in Pink Rose at the moment; so he had no reasons to be worried about Yusuke and Botan's relationship. But then again, his relationship to her could be the cause of his anxiety. Perhaps he did think of Botan as a close friend: that could only describe his concern for her innocence.

Hiei and Kazuma had nothing to add to the conversation, so the four of them said nothing more until they met Koenma. Their sudden arrival surprised the little prince as he jumped at their entering. Before he had a chance to ask what had happened, they asked the prince to call forth Botan. Curious and suspicious, Koenma demanded why, and they hastily explained, "The plan failed, and instead of being our win, it was the Pretty Soldiers' win. They knew all about our plan—and the only person who could reveal that information is Botan. Unless you can confirm otherwise her innocence, we have no choice but to assume that she is the traitor."

"There's no way for her to be the one," Koenma frowned. "She hasn't left the palace since before you saw her last. She's been confined to her room, working on paperwork. Not to mention, she's been busy these last few hours settling the dance issue between the ferry girls and the ogres."

At that moment, George and Botan entered the office, the two carrying tall stacks of documents and discussing recent events.

George sighed in relief, "Thank goodness you arranged a good deal for both parties. I was afraid of a revolt or strike."

The sky-haired lady shook her head and rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Ugh, I thought that they would never settle on a compromise. 500 years should be good enough for everyone for another dance. Not too soon for us ferry girls, not too late for you ogres." When she felt the weight abruptly removed from her arms, she blushed. "Ah, thank you, Kurama-kun."

"It's nothing," he answered while placing the stack neatly on Koenma's desk.

"Hey, Botan," Yusuke called, "Have you left Spirit World recently?" She shook her head and opened her mouth to question him; however, Yusuke had already turned his attention to Kurama and Hiei and said, "So, there's no way that she could have been in Human World these last few hours. Look, see, she's innocent."

"Impossible," Koenma confirmed.

Looking from Urameshi's glower to Kurama's unabashed expression, the ferry girl nervously asked, "Ne, what's going on?"

"Kurama and Hiei think that you passed information to the Pretty Soldiers," Yusuke answered, the agitation apparent in his voice. He grabbed Botan's hand as if to physically state his opposition to the idea. "They think you would betray us."

Her bright face grew grim and her eyes set with cloudy feelings. "I see."

"I'm sorry, Botan, but there isn't any other logical explanation," Kurama apologized.

"No, no, you're right to suspect me," she said.

"What?"

"Well, I mean, if you eliminate yourselves and Koenma-sama, who else is there to pass on your plan? Me, right? It can't be helped if you suspected me." She gave him a pointed stare. "But I would hope that you would have more faith in me, Kurama-kun."

Bowing to Koenma, Botan did not say another word and took her leave.

* * *

"I'm an idiot," Kurama sighed as he strolled through his side of town. And even though he admitted this out loud, it did not ease the guilt he felt towards Botan's broken faith in him. "Well, in all fairness," he reasoned with himself, "I didn't suspect her like Hiei did—and I defended her innocence against him."

'But she wouldn't know that, would she? She only saw you mildly accusing her for betraying you.' The young man sighed wearily at the predicament and considered his options in fixing the problem. Luckily, or unluckily, Kurama spotted Botan walking down the street; and without second thoughts, he approached her. 'Perhaps I can fix things now.'

"Botan!"

She looked up in surprise and fought back her instincts to run. 'If you run away from him, he'll only suspect me further,' she told herself calmly. 'It's already bad enough that he hit the nail on the head about me—what if he finds out that I'm Pink Rose?' Keeping her composure, she gave him a half-smile and met him on the sidewalk. "Kurama-kun."

'She must still be angry, acting so cold.' He frowned for a brief moment but quickly replaced it for a charming smile. "Botan, are you working on an assignment right now?"

'Uh oh… What to do?' The ferry girl's mind raced for a solution. But all she could think of at that moment was escaping Kurama. "I am, actually," she answered him nervously.

He noticed her agitation and again felt grim. What could he possibly do to make amends with Botan? How could he persuade her to forgive him and to be on friendly terms again? "May I help you? I am free at the moment—I mean I really want to assist you, if that's all right with you."

"If you like," she allowed while walking down the street. All the while, her pulse beat wildly in her veins, the ferry girl afraid of a possible interrogation and revealing of her secret identity. As she felt Kurama walking beside her, she felt waves of intimidation rolling off of his lithe form: oh, the pressure! Could he already know her identity as Pink Rose?

Botan's cold response sunk Kurama's optimism; however, he resolved to fix their relationship. At least she willingly spoke to him—at least she did not completely hate him, right? "I'm sorry about suspecting you," he apologized quickly. "I should have known better than to suspect you." He tried to catch her periwinkle eyes to relay his sincerity. "I shouldn't have ever doubted that we can trust you."

"Well, in all fairness, I shouldn't have raised your suspicions." She sighed, unknown to Kurama in relief. So he only wanted to be straight with her again: unless he was luring her into a trap. She frowned and decided to test the waters. "I guess with my lack of being with you guys would raise questions, so really it's no one's fault."

"That should be no excuse, especially with all that we've been through together," he immediately responded. "You have done nothing but support us through and through, and I'm ashamed to have lost your explicit trust."

"Oh." Botan could not help but to blush and gave the Detective a warm grin. She held out her hand to Kurama. "Friends again?"

He smiled and gently took her hand into his. "Yes, friends again," he grinned happily. And for a while they walked down the street, cheerily strolling hand-in-hand.

"Ne, since we're friends again—" Kurama inwardly cringed at Botan's suspicious tone. It was not negative or derisive but rather chipper and intrusive, meaning that she wanted some personal information. "Are the rumors true that you're flirting with Pink Rose?"

It took all of Kurama's power to maintain a calm façade. "And who told you this, Botan?"

"I met a little girl in Koenma-sama's office some days ago, and she told me about you—er—acting rather intimate with Pink Rose," Botan giggled, doing her best not to blush. After all, she was under the ruse of a nosey friend, not the curious and involved other party. "Is it true that you have a crush on her?"

"Whatever you've heard, they're all false." The ferry girl felt somewhat disappointed, but she did not understand why. Of course Kurama would not have a romantic interest in Pink Rose, she reasoned. She did not think long on the reasons as she continued to listen to Kurama's answer to her questions. "I have no feelings for Pink Rose, good or bad. All I want to know about her is her identity and the reason behind this ridiculous game."

"Ridiculous game?"

"This is all a game to the Pretty Soldiers, believe it or not. I don't know all of the rules or reasons, but trust me, I will find out."

"I have faith that you will, Kurama-kun." Botan had to turn away to hide her anxious expression. 'Of course he's going to discover our identities! Other than Hiei, who is thankfully uninterested in our identities, Kurama-kun is the most dangerous!' Her thoughts raced through her mind in a panic. 'If I'm not careful, he's going to find out my identity and then the others.'

The redhead noticed the uneasy mood settling over Botan and wondered if he again made her uncomfortable. As he thought this, guilt again nibbled at him, especially since he had only made up with Botan ten minutes prior! Fortunately, to his relief and her countenance, Botan's smile brightened when she spotted a fortune teller on the side of the street. A determined look set itself in her candy eyes, and she turned to the Detective with an unfamiliar, sweet face.

"Shuu-chan, let's get our fortunes told!"

His body went rigid at the pet name. "What?"

Eagerly Botan tugged him towards the fortune teller, her arm intimately wrapped around Kurama's. She hugged it against her body and smiled sweetly at the funnily dressed man. "Ne, Uncle, do you tell fortunes about love?"

"Why, yes, young lady," the old man grinned. "Are you looking for a love fortune?"

Botan looked at Kurama with a sly smile. "Maybe—do you think you can tell me if my boyfriend and I will be together for a long time?"

The fortune teller looked at her skeptically. "Not forever?"

"Where is the fun in that?" she pouted.

"Ne, Botan-chan," Kurama said with a hurt expression, "you don't think we can be together forever?" After gathering his bearings, he finally understood the reason for Botan's sudden change in behavior. He could not help but smile at her apparent relief when he finally played along with her.

"Shuu-chan shouldn't assume too much," she teased back. She playfully hit his shoulder, blushing cutely. "I mean, really, we just started dating."

"But I want to be with you forever." He rubbed his nose against hers.

'He's punishing me, isn't he?' Botan thought while trying to control her body temperature. 'Really, he knows how to play women.'

'Why is she tempting me?' Kurama thought.

"Ah, I see that there's a lot of love between you," the man smiled greedily. "I don't think you need a fortune—but since you really want one…" He reached into his cloak and brought out an eerie black-green crystal. As soon as he brought it out, handcuffs latched onto his wrists.

"What the—" Before he could finish his sentence, Kurama pulled him up by the collar and dragged him into the darkness of the alleyway. Botan followed them promptly after making sure that no one noticed them. While Kurama had the fortune teller pinned against the wall, Botan asked, "Why are you draining love energy from humans?"

The man sputtered. "What are you talking about lady?"

Kurama knocked the man against the wall, grassy eyes glaring. "Answer her."

"You're going to make me?" the captive scoffed.

"No," the redhead replied coldly, "these will."

Ivy had sprouted from between the concrete cracks and had wrapped all around the captive and had constricted him against the stone wall. He yelped in pain as poison barbs sunk into his skin. "Hey! Hey! Spirit World won't approve of you attack a human!"

"If only you were human. Any Spirit World employee can clearly sense that you're anything but," Kurama said. "Now answer her question."

"Dummy, we already know you're a demon," Botan sighed in exasperation. "Honestly, we know what we're about—that's why we were pretending to be a couple." Kurama wondered why that comment stung, even though he had only played along for the sake of the assignment. "You've only been attacking couples in love. Now tell me why you're collecting love energy or else I'll have Kurama-kun here interrogate you instead."

"Kurama? You mean… Youko Kurama?" The demon in disguise visibly blanched at the name. "You're—you're Youko Kurama?"

"Who else? Now answer her."

His tongue instantly began wagging. "Boss is trying to reawaken a demon that's been hiding in Human World for the last 600 years. Other than direct transfer of Spirit Energy, stealing love energy is the fastest way to revive him. With my buddies and Boss, we've been stealing the love energy from couples through our 'love fortune' charms."

"And where exactly is this demon sleeping?"

"He—"

"Botan, watch out!" Kurama grabbed her and pulled her out of the line of fire. Three fire bombs set off and the demon escaped from Kurama's vines. His partners in crime helped him along as they fled from the scene.

"That was close," Minamino breathed as he slowly allowed Botan from his protection. "It should be easy enough to track them—er, Botan, are you all right?"

She turned to her friend in a panicked state. "Kurama-kun, we need to tell Koenma-sama about Aizen!"

"Aizen? Here, in Human World?" He frowned. Back in his days as Youko, he had heard many stories about a demon named Aizen, one that fed off of passion, lust, and sexual frustration. Due to the nature of his powers, Aizen easily controlled the irrational and overtly emotional humans and caused mass chaos amongst them, incurring almost every violent act imaginable. He had somehow managed to remain in Human World, even though Spirit World's barrier had thrown out most C-level and above levels of demons. Fortunately for the humans, Aizen had been finally subdued and imprisoned by faithful and zealous monks.

Although Kurama knew that Yusuke could easily handle Aizen on the battlefield, the time period and setting greatly complicated everything. Had it been six hundred years ago, the Detectives could have dealt with the matter easily. But due to present-day civilization, they would have to mind civilians and limit the battlefield and damages as much as possible. Naturally, this was on disaster that Koenma needed to know about.

"All right. Let's go."

* * *

Three human boys raced through the woody park surrounding an old temple, the three doing their best to spot the stone seal that imprisoned Aizen. Yusuke quickly darted left to avoid being clothes-lined by a low hanging branch. "Wait—you mean this is an A-level demon?"

"How in the world did a demon this strong get through the barrier?" Kazuma demanded after his friend.

"It's been asleep beneath this seal for the last few hundred years," Kurama explained. "Botan explained to me that she's been investigating this case for some time now and only now has gotten a lead on where Aizen is."

"Wait, where is she?" the leading Spirit Detective asked suddenly. "I thought she was with you?"

"Koenma-sama had her go make preparations for Aizen's arrival to Spirit World."

"You mean we have to take him in alive?"

"Yes."

Urameshi groaned at the worst news yet. "Aw, crap, this is going to be tricky."

"If it gets too tricky, Hiei will come and help."

"That sort of comforts me."

When they finally found the statue that marked the location, already a battle had started. Two demons were bound and thrown to the side while the Pretty Soldiers had their hands full battling two others. Kurama recognized the four demons, them all looking alike to each other; one of them most undoubtedly was the one he and Botan met earlier that day. He figured they were minions to Aizen and could not be more than C-level demons.

As the Pretty Soldiers continued battling the remaining two demon guards, the ground rumbled and shook beneath them. "Red Salvia, Yellow Peony!" Pink Rose shouted while dodging another firebomb. She lashed out her Rose Whip, forcing the demons to step away and slightly retreat. "Go stun Aizen while Apricot and I deal with these two guys!"

"But—"

"We don't have time for this!" Rose cut off. She swung her whip above her head and sliced through a tree one of the demons had taken for cover. "As soon as Aizen awakens completely, we'll have a bigger problem on our hands!"

With grim determination, the others answered, "Right!"

Leaving their teammates, Yellow Peony and Red Salvia headed towards the stone seal and the rising red mass from its center. "Aizen is rising!" Together, Yellow Peony and Red Salvia attacked Aizen in hopes to delay his awakening. Placing a hand on their transformation jewel, each Soldier summoned her respective colored energy and swirled it like a ribbon of her head. Dancing together and joining hands, they built up the attack to its peak and shouted, "Crimson Gold Supernova!"

Like a cannon the crackling sphere of gold and crimson energy launched towards the rising demon, hitting it square in the face. It did nothing but speed up its awakening, like a shot of caffeine in the morning. When they saw the effects of their attack, the two Pretty Soldiers blanched. "Why didn't it work?" Red Salvia growled.

Before she could receive an answer, the demon attacked. The two Pretty Soldiers jumped out of harms way. However, Aizen anticipated Yellow Peony's movements and swiped at her with his second hand.

"Peony!"

"Aah!"

Yusuke caught Yellow Peony midair, kicked Aizen's hand away, and leaped to a safer location. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine, thanks." She pushed herself away from him, hoping that he had not caught her blushing. Of course, knowing Yusuke, he would not notice—he never noticed other girls.

'At least their all right,' Pink Rose sighed while she glanced at Salvia and Peony. She frowned at her next thought. 'But why didn't the attack work?'

Her opponent then cackled, drawing her attention back to the battle in front of her. "You Pretty Soldiers can't possibly stop Aizen."

"What do you mean?" she shouted while leaping after him. When she could not reach him with her Rose Whip, she had her rose transform into a Rose Wand. Twirling it her hand and then pointing it towards the demon, the Soldier commanded, "Romantic Rose Love Shock!"

The demon dodged the attack, having it hit Aizen instead and giving him more energy. While Pink Rose cursed, the demon laughed, "It's impossible for you to defeat him."

Remembering how the large red demon had absorbed her attack, Rose gasped in realization. "It's because our powers—"

"What is he talking about?" White Apricot asked while she defended herself against the second minion.

"Peony and Salvia can't defeat Aizen! None of us can," Rose answered. "It's impossible for us because our powers are drawn from love, beauty, and goodness. Aizen takes in love energy!"

They fended off the demons' attacks, using all of their abilities to avoid the many firebombs. "Then what are we going to do?"

"I don't know."

"Rose, watch out!"

When she turned around and looked up, the attacking demon split in half as a rose whip sliced through him. Kurama gracefully landed in front Pink Rose and shielded her from the debris of his attack. "Be careful, Pink Rose," he warned into her ear, "or I might find the chance to steal that mask of yours."

She wanted to retort but then caught sight of humans entering the park. At that moment, Peony and Salvia rejoined Apricot and Rose. "Pink Rose! Our special attack didn't work!"

"Ah! Yes, I know now," she answered, pushing herself out of Kurama's arms. "The demons told me while we were fighting—and my attack only helped Aizen get stronger as well."

"Eh? But why won't our attacks work?"

"It's because of the source of our powers," she replied. "Aizen sucks up love energy, and love is one of the keystones to our powers. Whatever attacks we send, he'll just suck up into energy." She noticed the human couples now surrounding them, all of them at the temple to make a wish for their love: the perfect place for Aizen to grow in strength. "But that's beside the point! Right now we have to get these humans out of here!"

Kurama smirked and went to rejoin his comrades. "I guess that'll leave Aizen for us."

The Pretty Soldiers separated, each girl herding the couples as far away from Aizen as possible. As Yellow Peony, Red Salvia, and Pink Rose worked, White Apricot positioned herself an equal distance away from everyone preparing her signature move. "White Blossom Aroma!" The humans fell one by one, their memories wiped away by the sweet fragrant mist.

Aizen noticed defenseless White Apricot and charged at her. He wanted all of the love energy she had! "Apricot, watch out!" The three other Soldiers all leaped to their friend's rescue, attacks ready in their hands to act as shields. Even though their attacks would only strengthen Aizen, they hoped it would buy them enough time to save Apricot.

A huge explosion occurred as the attacks all collided together.

Dizzied and blinded by the fusion of attacks, Aizen stumbled in his steps and faltered for a brief moment. Kurama would not waste this ideal opportunity. "Finish him, Yusuke!"

"You got it!" Summoning a majority of his strength, Yusuke barraged Aizen beneath a fury of fists, effectively knocking out the demon. Kurama and Kazuma rushed to place seals over the demon to prepare him for transport. Once that was done, the Detectives breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whoo, mission accomplished," Kazuma smiled a little stupidly. "Man, this was easier than I thought it would be."

"Hey, look. Aren't these their masks?" Yusuke asked while picking up a yellow object from the ground. He spotted lying nearby three others: pink, white, and red.

Kazuma's eyes grew wide as he glanced towards the unconscious backs of the Pretty Soldiers. "If their masks are here, that means we can—"

Before the young man could finish, Kurama strode over towards the Pretty Soldiers with a pink mask in his hand. 'I'm going to uncover your identity, Pink Rose,' Kurama thought. 'I'm going to find out who your true self is.'

A quick blur snatched the masks away from the Spirit Detectives. Kurama lashed out at the blur but only missed it by a hair. The disguised figure returned the masks to the Pretty Soldiers' faces, neatly picked all four up, and disappeared. Kurama wanted to follow her; however, he knew his responsibility rested on helping Yusuke take Aizen to Spirit World.

As they dragged Aizen towards Spirit World, Yusuke asked off-handedly, "Hey, didn't that person remind you of Genkai?"

Emerald orbs narrowed. 'Of course.'

* * *

"We saw someone very like you rescue the Pretty Soldiers," Kurama said solemnly and without hesitation.

"You think Genkai 'baa-san rescued them?" Keiko giggled at the boys' theory. "But how can that be? Genkai 'baa-san has been here the entire time. Besides, she's in no condition to be out there fighting demons alongside you."

After finishing their duties in Spirit World, the Spirit Detectives visited Genkai's temple. There they found Keiko and Shizuru visiting Yukina and Genkai and having tea together. Without much greeting or formality, Kurama and Yusuke had presented their suspicion of Genkai's assistance and now waited for the evidence and verdict.

"Hey, if she uses enough Spirit Energy, we know she can become younger," Yusuke argued. "And it's not like she's that out of shape, damn it! She had more than enough energy to train me and then some."

"But that was back then," his girlfriend reminded. She turned to Genkai for reassurance. "I thought you had surrendered the greatest portion of your Spirit Energy during the Dark Tournament?"

Not looking up from her cards, the old spiritualist answered, "Do you see Koenma-sama assigning me on new cases, idiot?"

Botan then stumbled into the room. "Okay, I'm back!"

"What took you?" Shizuru demanded, snatching the plastic bag out of Botan's hand. "You've been gone for over an hour."

"Sorry," the sky-haired girl apologized with an apologetic grin. She helped Shizuru pass around the snacks and juice boxes; she handed Shizuru and Genkai the sake bottles. "Koenma-sama needed me to ferry a few souls in between." A frown fell on her face. "A serial killer just claimed two more victims tonight. Fortunately, he was caught."

"Hey, Botan, where did you disappear to?" Kazuma demanded. "When we went back to Spirit World, you weren't there."

She smiled at the boys apologetically. "After I had made preparations for Aizen's return in Spirit World, Koenma-sama had me run errands in Human World. I then met Keiko and Shizuru, and they said they were going to visit Yukina-chan and Genkai 'baa-san. I told them that I would bring the snacks once I finished all of my errands. I would have been back sooner, but then that surprise case came up. But it's all better now."

"Hey, do you guys want some?" Shizuru grinned while offering a glass to her brother and his friend.

"Sure."

Kurama narrowed his eyes in suspicion at this too perfect scenario. Someone in the room, he knew, was a Pretty Soldier or their accomplice. But who? Yukina lacked the height and the desire to go against them, and her undeveloped strength did not match; Keiko lacked the spiritual powers and would never oppose Yusuke; Shizuru lacked fighting spirit and her spiritual powers could only take her so far; and Botan lacked—Kurama stopped in his train of thought. Botan lacked nothing: she had experience on the field, she had spiritual powers being a ferry girl, she had access to Spirit World files, and she knew the Spirit Detectives' plans. She even had an alibi for every situation… But her appearance did not match any of the Pretty Soldiers'.

'Minor detail,' the fox reasoned. 'There are various ways she can change her appearance to disguise herself.'

And then guilt hit. Just earlier today he had apologized to Botan for suspecting that she had betrayed them. What if he were wrong again? Would he be able to regain her trust after a second accusation?

But everything fit! Her recent absences from their cases, her lack of involvement with them, and her suspicious behavior: everything pointed in the same direction.

"Ne, Kurama-kun, are you all right?" the blue-haired girl asked in concern. He had not contributed to the conversation for some time and had remained standing at the threshold silently. "You weren't hurt in the last assignment, right?" She observed him up and down quickly and felt satisfied with her check-up. "Why don't you come in and have some juice? You have time before you're expected home, right?"

When her hand touched his, Kurama felt a jolt of familiarity travel through his body. He had felt this way only one other time—a time with a certain pink-haired Pretty Soldier.

Quickly but politely, he excused himself from the room and left the temple grounds. As he descended the numerous stone stairs, his thoughts continually revolved around the ferry girl. Her smile and expressions, they were the same as the other girl's. The color difference had thrown him off, but now that he looked at all of the clues closely, he saw the truth. Oddly, he felt personally betrayed by the one truth he learned that night:

Botan was a Pretty Soldier.


	9. Chapter IX: Falling Flowering Waltz!

**Author's Note: **Okay! We're almost done! Just a few more chapters to go and the Lovely Adventures of the Pretty Soldiers will come to an end. Anyway, I hope that you've enjoyed the last chapters and will enjoy this new installment. Please read and review!

* * *

**Yu Yu Hakusho: Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!  
Chapter ****IX: ****Falling Flowering Waltz!**** Two Roses Clash Again!**

* * *

Leaning back against the windowsill and taking a long drag from her cigarette, Shizuru looked on at the city. After exhaling a length of smoke, she murmured, "So, I'm going to assume that the rules are still the same."

Botan sighed while munching on her snack helplessly. "Yes."

"Because the boys are the ones who brought Aizen in, they're credited with the win." Keiko pouted while she ate a cookie thoughtlessly.

"Yes," the ferry girl confirmed.

Yukina pondered for a minute and silently counted something on her slender fingers. "So that means we're tied with the Detectives right now," she said in surprise. "At this point, no one is winning the wager."

Blowing out her last cloud of scented smoke, Shizuru put out the cigarette butt and closed the window. "How many more assignments will we get before the wager is done?" she asked while sitting beside Yukina.

"There should be at least one more assignment," Botan calculated while looking through the Pretty Soldier files on a small computer. "Koenma-sama and George-san have agreed to make the bet for three demons, two souls, and however many number of attacks each team decides to launch against each other."

The petite ice maiden nodded. "So far, the Detectives have arrested all three demons."

"And we've attacked them twice and rescued one soul," Keiko added helpfully.

"So… All we have to wait for is the one last soul?" Shizuru sighed and frowned discontentedly. "I don't like how we're dependent on this last bit if we want to win."

"Basically, yes, we are waiting for this last soul. But we have to be wary since from the time until the last soul appears, the Spirit Detectives might launch an attack against us," Botan explained. "It isn't as simple as just waiting for the soul to appear. We must be prepared for anything at this point."

"But we don't have to worry about that," Keiko grinned confidently. She patted her sky-haired friend on the back. "We have Botan on our side."

"True," Shizuru nodded.

"At this point, we have to keep on alert and make sure that we don't lose any more ground. George-san needs us to win this bet," Yukina said with a strange amount of determination. She looked to her fellow Soldiers for assurance. "Right?"

"Have you wondered what it's going to be like when we're no longer Pretty Soldiers?" When the younger three women stared at her, Shizuru chuckled and explained, "I've just been thinking, you know? Not that we've been Soldiers for very long, but I feel like it's very much a part of my life now. Keeping secrets, protecting people, and having so many abilities: what it will be like to lose everything in the end?"

"Well, we have a while before we have to think about it," Keiko laughed while refilling her teacup. "And besides, we were ourselves before we became Pretty Soldiers, so it shouldn't be that bad of a transition." She stared at her hot tea sadly, thinking of Yusuke. "It'll be different for the boys, though. They've been Spirit Detective for years, and probably their identities really hinge on being one."

"You're right. It's probably better that we escape this when we can." Shizuru shook her head in disbelief, incredulous she had almost truly desired a troublesome and restless life of a Spirit Detective. Honestly, life was not like a comic book where heroes could do what they want or have their problems solved instantly.

"Let's talk about happier things," Keiko suggested while pulling her bag closer to her. She opened it and pulled something from it and showed it off to everyone. "I'm thinking about wearing this on my date. What do you all think?"

* * *

Walking down the street together hand in hand, Yusuke and Keiko said nothing to one another. With furtive glances eventually evolving to blatant stares, Yukimura tried to catch her boyfriend's eye. Instead, all she did was see his concentrated scowl. Finally unable to take his pensive silence, she asked him, "Yusuke, why are you angry?"

He turned to her at the sound of his name. "Angry?"

"Yes." Keiko nodded. "You've had that mean look on your face for the last hour now. You must be angry."

The dark-haired young man shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just thinking."

Not giving up, the girlfriend pushed on, "What are you thinking about that makes you so angry?"

'I can't win against this girl.' Yusuke did not know whether to be scared or proud. He could always depend on Keiko to understand him. He then confessed, "I'm just still angry about how Kurama could think that Botan would betray us." He growled. "I can't believe him. Really, Botan would never do anything like that. She's always been there for us, more times than I can imagine. Whenever she can she gives us backup on our missions and does her best to look out for us in general. She should never have been doubted."

"But you've already proven that Botan is innocent. Why are you still worried about it?" Keiko huffed. She released her boyfriend's hand and crossed her arms. "You know, I'm beginning to get jealous of Botan again."

"Eh?" As he stopped walking, Yusuke raised a brow. "Why?"

"You're asking me why? I'm jealous because I'm your girlfriend but you spend more time talking about Botan to me than talking about us—or even me." Keiko shook her head and released a sigh and resumed walking. Strategically she moved ahead of Yusuke. "I like Botan, Yusuke, and she's a very good friend of mine too. I'm in her debt for all of the times she's rescued me… But I'm human," she sternly reminded her boyfriend.

Before she walked too far ahead, the dark-haired lad grabbed his girlfriend's hand and pulled her back to his side. "Keiko," he whispered while squeezing her hand in assurance, "you know that it's not like that between me and Botan."

Already losing the battle, she stubbornly mumbled, "Sometimes, I'm not even sure about that."

"You know that I don't think of her like that," Yusuke repeated earnestly. "If anything, she's my sister, and I'm just worried about her right now."

"But why are you so worried?"

"I'm worried about Kurama hurting her."

"Eh?"

"I've—I've just always felt that that Kurama really cared about Botan," Urameshi reluctantly confessed. "He acts a little different when he's around her versus when he's with other people. I always thought that he had particular feelings about her, so I'm worried about what he's up to right now. I don't want to hand Botan over to Kurama if he's going to be such an ass to her. He can't even trust her right now… and I don't want her mistreated."

"Oh," she said. Keiko sighed, wondering how she could argue against Yusuke's big heart. Really, she could never win.

"But what about you?"

The young lady looked up in surprise. "Me?"

"Why have you been weird lately?"

'Has he noticed? Does he suspect something? Could he know that I'm a Pretty Soldier?' Testing the waters, Keiko answered his question with, "I've just been jealous."

"Jealous? Again?"

"I can't help it when I want to spend time with you!" she stressed when she saw Yusuke buying the story. "It's just lately, you seem to be spending more time with the Pretty Soldiers than with me… and I'm sure they're called Pretty Soldiers for a reason." Ingeniously she narrowed her eyes as if suspicious.

"You know how I feel about you." Yusuke kissed her affectionately on the forehead. "When we finally get these Soldiers decommissioned, there should be more time for us to date."

At the sound of his promise, Keiko gave him her best smile. She could not help but to add somewhat awkwardly, "I wonder when that will happen."

* * *

With her arms full of reports needing to be filed, Botan rounded the corner but stopped as two hands kept her from moving forward. She turned sideways to see who it was. "Ah, you're finally here, Kurama-kun! Koenma-sama is waiting for you with the others in his office." Botan smiled at him. She faltered when she saw his expressionless face. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," was the bland response, his face never changing. He did his best to control his feelings towards Botan, knowing very well what he would do if he were to slightly relax. It took all of his patience to keep from shaking the answers out of her this very minute.

'But that won't do,' the fox reminded himself. 'I want to confirm all of this myself without anyone else meddling in my affairs.' Not to mention, at this point in time he did not know how to react to Botan. Of course he was angry but what else? Was he happy that Pink Rose was someone that he actually knew? Or was he disappointed? Why did he feel an attraction towards Pink Rose and not Botan herself? Was she actually playing with his feelings like how she was playing with his trust? How was he supposed to act towards her?

Silently the pair entered Koenma's office. When they met the others, Kurama wasted no time and immediately laid out his plan. "We're going to lure the Pretty Soldiers into the open."

"And then do what?"

"Take our chance to reveal their identities and possibly end this game."

Efficiently and expertly Kurama explained everything that he had planned out and how each of them would execute their part to capture the four ladies. No one had anything to add, whistling in awe at Kurama's flawless plan for capturing and revealing the Pretty Soldiers. With that, everyone instantly agreed to meet at the designated time and place and would contact the others later.

As the Spirit Detectives parted ways, Kurama turned to Botan and told her, "It would probably be best for you to stay out of this since this is a grudge match between us." He forced a kind smile onto his face, ever hoping that his acting would not fail him. "There's no need for you to become involved."

"Oh… thank you." She blushed, unsure of how to take his words. "Um, good luck, Kurama-kun."

He nodded and left the Gate of Judgment while thinking, 'I won't be the one needing it, Botan.'

Hours passed, and finally the time came for everyone to meet at the edges of Genkai's temple. Of course, as Kurama expected, the Pretty Soldiers were there waiting for them. The girls' informant had done her job well and had the Soldiers ready for the Detectives to take.

While Yusuke and Kazuma kept the Pretty Soldiers busy according to plan, Kurama began the secret portion of his plans. Between the fighting Detectives and Soldiers, Kurama weaved between them all to get as close as possible to his rose maiden. Before anyone could notice or do anything about the situation, the redhead whisked Pink Rose far away, deep into the woods surrounding Genkai's temple.

"Let me go!" Pink Rose demanded while struggling against her captor.

"As you wish," he responded while tossing her to the ground.

"Aaaaaaah!" She landed on the ground with a resounding thud. As she regained her bearings, Pink Rose prepared herself to fight. "What do you want with me, Kurama-san?"

"I want you to tell me the truth." He roughly grabbed her wrist and pulled her up against him. "I want to know why you've lied to me, Botan."

"What?" She tried to pull herself from his hard grip and push her body away from his. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I know the truth, Botan," Kurama murmured dangerously. His other hand reached to take off her mask, but Pink Rose intercepted it and harshly slapped it away.

Annoyed by her action, he grabbed her free hand and pushed her back into a tree. Pinning her wrists above her head, he obeyed his brash desires and bent down and kissed her.

This isn't a kiss, Botan thought as her lips bruised beneath Kurama's. Frightened of this unfamiliar Kurama, Botan struggled against him and broke away. Focusing her energy, she shouted out as loud as she could, "Rose Starbright!"

An intense light blinded Kurama, allowing the Pretty Soldier to escape. However, her opponent was two steps ahead of her. Despite his temporary blindness, he could sense her Spirit Energy and had his plants grab her before she ran too far. In less then ten seconds, Pink Rose found herself trapped against the same tree once more.

"You're far cleverer than you let on, Botan," Kurama chuckled half-heartedly while leaning his head against her shoulders. His emerald eyes remained closed as he waited for his sight to return.

"Why are you calling me Botan?"

Kurama slammed a fist beside her face. "Why are you lying to me?" He put an ear against her breast and carefully listened to her heart. "I'm nowhere near Yomi's level of hearing, but I know when someone lies to me. You're Botan, there's no denying."

"Kurama-san, please let me go."

"No."

He intertwined his fingers with hers, the botanic binds receding as his hands took over for them. Bringing their hands down, he leaned his forehead against hers and touched her nose with his. "Even though I can't see right now, I can see you. Even though you look different, I know this face. You're Botan." Gently this time he dipped his head and kissed her. This time, she could feel his affection and deep feelings, all of them making her want to melt where she stood.

Of course, Kurama's naturally mischievous nature could not help but to take advantage of the situation. Kurama pressed his lips against Pink Rose's neck and began kissing it roughly. Again he had transformed to the frightening beast. Wrenching one of her hands free, she slapped him across the face and escaped him.

"Keep away from me!" She pointed her Rose Wand at Kurama threateningly.

"You won't be able to escape from me this time, Botan."

"I'm Pink Rose! Yellow Peony is back there!" She swung her wand, Romantic Rose Love Shocks bursting from it. As the balls of energy distracted the Detective, Pink Rose shifted into Spirit mode and escaped to Spirit World.

* * *

Everyone stared at the screen with wide open mouths. When someone finally found the ability to speak again, a squeaky voice managed to confess, "I can't believe Kurama did that."

"But what were they talking about?" they all wondered together.

"Stupid audio system!" Koenma shouted in obvious frustration. "If it weren't for these blasted 2000-year old speakers, we could have heard what they were saying!"

"And it doesn't help that we didn't have subtitles either," Hinageshi sighed with a shake of her head.

"But it's undeniable who the victor is," Ayame added serenely. She hoped to have everyone focus on the main point. "Kurama-san, after a bout with Pink Rose, secures a win for the Spirit Detectives, which puts the Detectives in the lead against the Soldiers at four points to three." The senior ferry woman sighed. "With the third demon captured, the Detectives and Soldiers only have to rescue one more soul before the wager ends. But also before they retrieve the final soul, any attacks that they win on each other will be counted towards the wager. These points will be critical since they're tied like this."

"Ku ku ku ku!" Koenma cackled. He hopped onto the top of his desk and struck a victory pose. "I'll be victorious yet!"

"That's not fair, Koenma-sama!" George whined while slamming his fists onto the large desk. He managed to topple Koenma and make the prince come crashing down back into his chair. "The Pretty Soldiers haven't lost yet! Watch and see. They'll win, I know it."

Pushing his hat from his face, the pacifier-sucker shouted, "Will not!"

"Will so!" the blue ogre yelled back.

"Will not!"

"Will so!"

"I'm going to see if Botan is all right," Hinageshi whispered to Ayame while leaving the room.

* * *

Botan frowned as she pulled aside her kimono's collar in front of her mirror. She touched her collar bone tenderly and tried to fight back her tears. Seven—seven times Kurama had kissed her roughly and left her with marks. Seven… he had left her with seven hickeys!

"How the hell am I going to hide this?" Even with her kimono on properly, someone could see a peek of red from the conservative collar's edge. Wearing normal human clothing would be out of the question! "Even if I wore a scarf, someone would definitely notice these," the ferry girl fretted. "And then Kurama would definitely know that I'm Pink Rose!"

If it were not for the circumstances, Botan would have been able to lie to her friends about her hickeys. She would have made up some story about her having a lover of sorts and would leave it at that. However, thanks to Kurama's particularly annoying genius, as soon as anyone saw her hickeys, her identity would be given away.

She had not realized it then, but when Kurama had been kissing her, he had been inserting a little bit of his Spirit Energy into every mark. They would most likely react when he stood nearby, keeping her from meeting up with everyone as long as the marks remained. As it appeared, Kurama would win no matter what as he left her without any options. "Damn it!"

She leaned against her mirror and glared at her reflection.

The worst of all, Kurama had branded her with HIS mark… his seven damned kisses.

His seven kisses had marked her in the shape of a red rose.


	10. Chapter X: Farewell Lovely Petals!

**Author's Note: **So due to my inability to properly do math, I made a mistake in the last chapter (that has already been fixed) and mistakenly told everyone that the score between the SD and PS was 3-3 at the end of the chapter. However, as my mathematical side of my brain kicked, I realized that the score is actually 4-3, SD.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I've sprinkled in some nostalgic materials into this chapter, so if you can point them out, you're amazing. I hope this is a good read, and please as always, read and review!

* * *

**Yu Yu Hakusho: Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!  
****Chapter ****X: Farewell Lovely Petals! Last Battle of the Pretty Soldiers!**

* * *

"Kurama, where have you been?" Yusuke demanded while he blasted away Yellow Peony's Golden Floral Surround. The young man looked left and right as if searching for something in particular. "Where's Pink Rose?"

"She escaped," Kurama said, "but not without a defeat. I'll tell you more about it later. First, we have to capture the remaining three."

From her distance, Red Salvia frowned at Kurama's words and turned to her two remaining teammates. "Pretty Soldiers, it's time to retreat."

"Eh?" Yellow Peony shot three Peony Blossom Blasts to keep Kazuma and Yusuke at bay. She prepared a fourth one just in case. "But what about Pink Rose?"

"She's a big girl and can take care of herself," Red Salvia responded while sending two Crimson Petal Pressures towards Kurama. Fortunately for her and her comrades, the attack created an opening for them. "Right now, we can't handle the three of them like this without Pink Rose. If they challenge us one-on-one, they we'll be in big trouble."

Seeing the reason in their fellow Soldier's words, White Apricot and Yellow Peony nodded in agreement. "Right."

"Then you girls know what to do!"

Facing the Spirit Detectives, Yellow Peony summoned her energy together, put the back of her left hand against the palm of her right one just above her head, and shouted, "Peony Starbright!"

Remembering a similar named attack, Kurama quickly yelled, "Yusuke, Kuwabara, cover your eyes!"

"What? Why—" A bright golden flare blinded the two humans while their friend turned his head and covered his eyes with his arm. When he felt the intense light recede, Kurama quickly looked around for the Pretty Soldiers. As he had expected, they had already made their escape.

'Well, they're not my goal anyway,' the fox thought as he went to go help Yusuke and Kazuma. 'There's only one Pretty Soldier that I want.'

"Ugh, I can't see a damn thing," Yusuke groaned while he rubbed his eyes. He blinked several times, unsuccessful at restoring his eyesight. "Damn it, don't tell me that this is permanent."

"Just wait a few moments and your sight will return," Kurama said while he led his two friends towards a bench to sit. "It won't last much longer, I promise." As Kurama instructed them, Yusuke and Kazuma sat down and tried to patiently wait for sight again. But of course, they could not help but to get a little antsy as they waited and often fidgeted.

Deciding to make the time at least somewhat useful, Urameshi questioned, "Where did you go with Pink Rose?"

"I went to challenge her alone and to discover her identity."

"And what did you find out?"

"Botan is Pink Rose."

'So, we're playing this game again?' Yusuke tried to hide his frown but knew that he couldn't. It didn't matter much at this point anyway—Kurama already understood how he felt about Botan's innocence. 'But why is he always so intent on Botan? Is it because he has something against her… or is it because of something else?' The dark-haired Detective furrowed his brows. "Where's your proof?"

"Botan herself."

"What?"

"If we see Botan, you will know well enough what I'm talking about. I've marked Pink Rose with a special spell that reacts to my energy whenever I am near. If Botan is innocent, which is very unlikely at this point, I will have no reaction from her," Kurama explained seriously so that no one could doubt his method. He did not want to argue again with Yusuke about the possibilities of Botan's innocence or guilt. "But also, if we do not see her, then she has confirmed herself that she is Pink Rose. Even though you cover this mark, it can't be hidden; and no matter what you try, you can't erase it. It'll only disappear after some time—but Pink Rose won't have enough of it before she can escape. So only seeing Botan can confirm her innocence or not."

Yusuke and Kazuma remained silent, seeing how their friend had covered all of the bases. As expected, the former demon thief had constructed a foolproof plan; and as he said, the only way for Botan to remain innocent was to prove it by seeing her.

Kurama quietly and patiently waited until both boys could see again. Afterwards, he swiftly led them towards Spirit World to test his theory.

* * *

As the Spirit Detectives entered the palace and walked into Koenma's office, they were met with panic and chaos. Three ogres and two ferry girls raced across the room, answering different phones and sending messages to Koenma. Many more employees ran in and out of the office, each one carrying a little piece of paper and information.

"She's not in the training room!"

"She's not in Office Space A!"

"No sign in Office Space B!"

"Someone is checking Office Space C right now!"

Hinageshi and George dashed past the Spirit Detectives and reported directly to Koenma's desk. "I checked her usual places, and she's not there," Hinageshi panted. "Yuri is checking the north gardens right now and Bara is checking the east gardens."

"I contacted the check points throughout Spirit World and they haven't heard or seen anything." George bit his nails anxiously. "What are we going to do?"

"She's not in the lounges!"

"She's not in the bathrooms!"

"Office Space C is cleared! Someone is checking Office Space D!"

Koenma frowned and rubbed his temples. "I can't believe this is actually happening."

"What's going on, Koenma-sama?" Kurama asked as the Detectives cautiously approached the large desk.

"Oh, you're here." The prince sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Kontennyo-hime has disappeared and Botan has gone missing."

"Missing? Botan has gone missing?"

The little prince couldn't help but to notice how the humans cared much more about a ferry girl rather than a princess of Spirit World. "Well, we can't find Botan anywhere in the palace and she isn't responding to her communicator. Either she's purposely ignoring it or can't answer it: either way, it's bad. We don't have any leads on where she is, and I'm about to start searching Human World for her."

'She's not even answering her Pretty Soldier compact,' George fretted. 'Where could she be? Is she all right?'

"But that's not the point!" Koenma shouted. "Our bigger problem right now is that we can't find Kontennyo-hime anywhere, and we have reason to believe that she's been kidnapped by demons."

Ignoring their employer, the Detectives discussed their plans on tracking down their mascot Spirit Assistant. Annoyed by their misdirected focus, Koenma pulled back the humans' attentions and told them that their priority rested on finding Kontennyo first. She was too important a person in Spirit World to have nothing done for her. Lesser employees would be sent to find Botan. Unable to agree to those terms, Kurama said, "Let us find her. Let us look for Botan, Koenma-sama."

"No, and that's final," the prince replied sharply. "You're going to look for Kontennyo-hime and rescue her first and foremost. Once you safely return her to Spirit World, you then may go find Botan if she hasn't been located by then." Waving the Detectives away, he then focused on the incoming reports the ferry girls and ogres were handing to him. "Give me hourly reports as you guys check each area."

Seeing that they could do nothing else, the three young men answered, "Right."

Koenma glanced upward slightly and added kindly, "Hopefully you'll find both of them all right."

Yusuke, Kazuma, and Kurama did not say another word as they departed Koenma's hectic office. When they finally reached Human World and parted their separate ways to find Princess Kontennyo, Kurama could not help but to worry. "Botan, where are you? Please, just be all right."

* * *

She had turned off the communicators long ago, tired of their continuing buzzing. The sky-haired girl figured that Koenma and George could function without for a few hours at the very least. There were plenty of other ferry girls to do their bidding—and if George needed a Pretty Soldier, he had three others on call. They knew how to use their communicators, and he knew obviously how to reach them.

But Botan had turned off the communicators for more than one reason. Of course, the first reason was because constant vibrating for two hours straight had really become irritating; the second reason was so that no one could trace her. With the Spirit Detective and Pretty Soldier's compacts activated, they would beacon everyone towards her location. And right now, she really just wanted some time to herself.

Well, she would be by herself and, thanks to her redhead friend, traces of his Spirit Energy.

No matter what she did, Botan could not shake off the feeling of Kurama's presence. Whenever she tried forgetting him, his damn mark would pulse and remind her of its devious owner: not like she could forget about him without the mark.

"What am I going to do?" she sighed. She undoubtedly felt attracted towards Kurama. Every time he looked at her, as Botan or as Pink Rose, her heart skipped ten beats, did a somersault, and twirled endlessly with happiness. But was it love?

"How can it be love? There's no way we can love each other after what we've done to each other." Botan let out a bitter laugh. "How can we even be friends after what's happened between us?" At this point, Kurama had harassed her beyond all reason and she had betrayed his trust: together, they made the best of enemies. And it worked for them, since they were on different teams for the wager. However, what about at the wager's end? How was she supposed to act around him when she was no longer a Pretty Soldier?

"Ouch!" Botan clamped a hand over her neck, where her rose mark was. It burned and ached, the energy pulling her towards the other direction. It urged her to return to its owner, as if… "Is Kurama-kun in danger?" She turned towards the other end of the city and frowned.

"Why am I so concerned? Kurama-kun can take care of himself. There's no way he would be in danger in Human World." She turned her attention away from that area and tried taking a step forward; however, her body would not let her do so.

Why? Why couldn't she chase him away from her thoughts? He didn't love her, and she very well didn't love him… Right?

"Damn it all," the ferry girl swore as she summoned her Spirit Energy forth and materialized her oar. She jumped on it and flew towards where she felt Kurama's aura strongest. As the wind whipped against her face, Botan grumbled, "I really do love that molester."

* * *

Hearing a familiar alert, Keiko, Shizuru, and Yukina looked around and made sure no one was nearby. When they felt safe, the three girls whipped out their colored compacts and answered the call. "Pretty Soldiers!"

"George-san, what's wrong?" Keiko questioned earnestly. "Has something bad happened?"

"We have a big problem!" the blue ogre cried frantically. "Kontennyo-hime from Spirit World has been kidnapped by demons. They stole her spirit and are taking it to Human World to prepare her for consumption. You need to rescue her before the Spirit Detectives complete the mission!"

The screen split in half and on the other half showed Kontennyo. Shizuru whistled, impressed by the immense beauty of the spirit princess. Long flowing fiery hair, cool blue eyes, perfect transparent skin, and a smile that would melt glaciers: she was definitely what all men dreamed of and what all women aspired to be. "Is she the last soul for the wager?"

"Yes! But this is more than just about the bet! We really need to rescue Kontennyo-hime or else!"

"Okay, we're on it," Keiko assured the blue ogre. "Don't worry about it any more, George-san. Just have Botan meet us when you fill her in!"

"That's another problem. No one knows where she is."

"What?" the girls exclaimed together.

"Botan's disappeared, and no one knows where she can be," George sighed wearily. He knew that all of this stress would only speed his already commencing balding. "You girls will have to try and handle this case until we can locate Botan."

"All right," Keiko sighed without choice, "we'll try."

Holding their compacts close to each other's, the three girls synchronized them with the data George had sent and tried locating Kontennyo's soul within the city. As soon as they locked onto a location, the girls ran towards the place as quickly as they could. Their trackers led them to the park where they saw a group of demons holding about a dozen humans hostage.

As the girls quickly darted behind trees to hid, Shizuru groaned at their luck. "Great, they have hostages."

"That's not all," Keiko murmured with the frown, "the boys are here." Sure enough on the other side of the park the Spirit Detectives rushed towards the group of demons while defeating any of them that came their way.

"Spirit Gun!"

"Spirit Sword!"

Desperate the carry through with their plans, the guarding demons each grabbed one of the hostages and held the claws against a vital point on the humans. One of them, a young girl, whimpered in fear as tears streamed down her eyes. "Don't come any closer, Detectives!" the leader of the demons shouted. He clutched the soul closer to himself. "Or we'll kill the humans!" The leader then motioned to his friends to stand ready.

"Wait, look! Some of them escaped," one monster growled while pointing towards the girls' direction. Hoping to recapture their "hostages," some demons sauntered towards the girls.

"Keiko!" Yusuke shouted in surprise. He rushed towards her in attempts to help her, but he was too far away. The demons would reach her and the other girls before him. "Shit!"

Unafraid and ready for battle, the girls rushed at the demons to fight them. Keiko gave one a right hook, immediately after giving it a high kick to the neck. Shizuru backed her up by back-kicking the following demon and then pushing two away. Yukina did her best to guard her friends using her ice powers. Using their Pretty Soldier experiences, they darted and weaved through their attackers, freeing whatever humans they could from the demons.

Kurama and Yusuke watched them as they finished off their group of demons. Needless to say, they were speechless by the girls' display of power.

However, as inexperienced fighters, the girls had their limits. Especially with one of their party missing, the returning demons proved harder to vanquish than what the girls had initially anticipated. They could not take anymore and needed to transform.

"You ready?" Keiko questioned as she pulled her yellow compact from her pocket.

Shizuru and Yukina nodded. Together, the three of them lifted their colored compacts into the air and shouted with bright smiles on their faces,

"Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!"

Bright light surrounded the area, forcing everyone to turn away.

"What's going on?"

"It can't be—"

Yellow peonies blooming around her, Keiko grinned brightly while her ponytail came undone. Rising with an invisible wind, her brown strands fanned out and then burst into golden locks. As they were done melting from chestnut to gold, her hair came back together into a neat ponytail with a deep orange-gold bow. Her yellow uniform adorned her body while matching peony designs ornamented her neck and ears. Holding out her arms in front of her, peony petals flew across her limbs and left them gloved. In her outstretched hands, Keiko's compact transformed into her brooch and fitted itself properly onto her uniform. With a quick movement of her feet, matching heels appeared on her feet. Her yellow mask then glittered onto her face, allowing the Pretty Soldier to go into her pose. "I am the Spring Maiden of Loyalty! Pretty Soldier Yellow Peony!"

Delicate white blossoms bloomed all around Yukina while a light engulfed her body. As her kimono disappeared, she grew in height while her hair grew in length. Starbursts of silver blossomed onto her sea green hair, the metallic color taking over like ink in water. Her white leotard then covered her body, silver skirt, gloves, and shoes appearing afterwards. As the invisible whirlwind swirled snowy petals around Yukina, apricot blossom earrings and necklace graced the soldier. She held out her hands, her compact transforming into her brooch; it quickly found its place on her uniform. As apricot petals and sparkles showered across her face, a silver mask was left in its place. The Pretty Soldier went into her trademark pose and said sweetly, "I am the Summer Maiden of Purity! Pretty Soldier White Apricot!

Red salvia snaked around Shizuru while her transformation commenced. As her hair fanned out behind her, half of it disappeared as crimson petals. From the short hair left, the color grew darker and deeper from the ends and eventually became blood red. Blooming across her body in the sexiest fashion, her crimson uniform gave her an undeniable seductive allure. Running across her skin, her salvia jewelry snaked around her neck and coiled enticingly around her ears. As she held out her hands, her red compact melted and became her brooch. Once that was in its place, salvia petals landed on Shizuru's arms and legs and melted into her gloves and boots. In a similar manner, the petals sprinkled her face and formed her crimson mask. Following her fellow Pretty Soldiers, she posed provocatively and said, "I am the Winter Maiden of Vitality! Pretty Soldier Red Salvia!"

Yellow Peony began the motions and called out, "When the world finds itself in danger—"

White Apricot stood next to her and added, "And without defenders—"

Red Salvia followed suit. "You should have no fear because—"

"The Pretty Soldiers are here!"

Despite their precarious situation, the human hostages could not help but to cheer due to the sudden hope that filled their hearts. Just seeing the beautiful maidens told them that they would survive the ordeal and that everything really would be all right. The Pretty Soldiers were right: because they were here, no one had anything to fear.

On the other hand, the Spirit Detectives stared at Pretty Soldiers in surprise and confusion. "I can't believe it," Yusuke murmured. "They're the Pretty Soldiers…"

"Yusuke! Watch out!" Kurama jumped in front of his friend and blocked a blow from an oncoming demon, slicing the creature in half. However, the redhead had failed to anticipate the detached arm being able to still attack. Thus, before he could properly react, Kurama received a deep gash on his arm. He hissed at the searing pain. 'Botan…' Why did he think of her of all times?

"Kurama!" Yusuke and Kazuma turned their attention to him at the sight of blood.

"Cover them!" Red Salvia ordered her teammates. "I'll rescue these humans! Crimson Petal Pressure!"

"Ah!" the demons shrieked as they were vanquished.

"Enough!" the leading demon barked furiously. "I'll just have to eat this soul without the human sides! And then I'll show you meddlers what real power is." Just as the demon was about to consume Kontennyo's soul, a rose sliced through his hand. Releasing the soul, the demon gripped his bleeding hand and looked up while cursing, "Damn you! Who did that?"

Instinctively everyone turned to face Kurama. However, he pointed out that one arm was disabled by a wound and he was using his other hand to help stop the bleeding. Therefore, it was impossible for him to throw a rose. "Then who threw it?"

"I did!" Botan shouted as she flew above everyone on her oar. She landed gracefully on top of a lamp post and pointed her oar at the leading demon accusingly. "I'll never allow Kontennyo-hime to be eaten by the likes of you! And I won't forgive you for hurting Kurama-kun and my friends!"

"Botan!" the Pretty Soldiers all said happily.

"Prepare for defeat by the hands of love and justice!" Botan raised her pink compact into the air and called out as loudly and happily as she could, "Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!"

In a burst of love energy her transformation began. As she twirled in place, pink rose petals showered her entire form. Retaining the same height, Botan smiled as her hair melted from sky to rose, the length shortening slightly and curling cutely inwards. Her kimono flew away as a flurry of rose petals, only to be replaced by another flurry of roses. When the soft scented petals kissed her skin, they molded together into her Pretty Soldier uniform. When a petal landed at the center of her neck on the lobe of each ear, it bloomed into befitting rose jewelry. Her gloves and shoes blooming onto her limbs, Botan held out her compact in front of her to watch it transform into her jeweled brooch. As it flew to its place on her uniform, she waved the back of her hand across her face, the fading glitter becoming her pink mask. Her transformation complete, she winked, posed, and said, "I am the Fall Maiden of Gentility! Pretty Soldier Pink Rose!"

'I knew it,' Kurama smirked in satisfaction while he felt his wound sealing itself. His demon blood had finally kicked in. 'They're the same—Pink Rose and Botan are the same.' He felt overwhelming relief at the revelation. 'My feelings are after all for one person…'

The rose mark on Botan's neck began glowing, blooming with love energy. "Wha—" Red energy surrounded her and encased her in a rose bud.

Panicking, White Apricot demanded, "What's happening to Botan?"

"Magical Girl Super Love Bloom!"

Holding her gloved arms above her head, Botan closed her eyes and crimson rose petals showered down on her. Some petals in the shape of hearts stamped themselves on the edges of her gloves while others collected together at her neckline to make red lace lining her collar and arms. Her pink skirt bloomed into two extra layers, the middle layer rose red while the top and bottom remained her trademark pink. The back bow of her skirt grew larger, like butterfly wings, and the ends fluttered in the invisible wind. A lovely tiara graced her head as her Rose Wand elongated and became a Rose Staff. When she emerged from the light that bloomed into a rose, she posed and exclaimed, "I am the Fall Maiden of New Love and Passion! Pretty Soldier Romantic Pink Rose!"

"I can't believe it," she whispered to herself. "I performed a Magical Girl Super Love Bloom!" Botan could not help but to grin a her new level of power and confidence. She jumped towards the demon leader and swung her staff as a distraction, shooting an array of Super Romantic Rose Love Shocks at it. In that instant, Romantic Pink Rose grabbed Kontennyo's soul and leaped out of the demon's range of attack.

When he realized what the Pretty Soldier had done, he snarled, "Give me the soul!"

"Never!" Romantic Pink Rose shouted while pointing her Rose Staff threateningly at the leading demon. "Kontennyo-hime's soul is staying with me!"

In fury, the demon swung his arm at the Pretty Soldier, surprising her when it extended as far as her. Before she could react, the demon had knocked her into the air with the soul falling loose from her hands. Fortunately for Romantic Pink Rose, Kurama caught her in midair and flipped gracefully to the ground while White Apricot recovered Kontennyo's precious soul.

"Are you all right, Botan?" Kurama asked her gently.

Having willingly revealed her identity, Romantic Pink Rose answered, "Yes, thank you." She held onto his shoulder while she tried steadying herself on her feet. "I'll be fine." Kurama stayed beside her until he felt sure she could stand independently.

"Stay back!" Red Salvia yelled while beating back the demons. Yellow Peony stood beside her as the two defended White Apricot and the soul in her hands.

She and Yellow Peony combined their attacks. "Crimson Gold Supernova!"

While they defeated a chunk of the demons, Yusuke and Kazuma attacked the demons from the other direction, rounding up the fiends into a tight group. As the two Spirit Detectives herded the minions closer to their master, Romantic Pink Rose turned to Kurama with a smile and said, "Let's defeat these guys together."

"And how do you suggest that?" he questioned with a raised brow.

"Lend me your strength," she grinned. "And think of the one you love—that way you'll be giving me your best love energy, the type of love energy that let me transform into Romantic Pink Rose."

Nodding, he stood behind her with his right hand on her shoulder. Kurama concentrated on his romantic feelings for the Pretty Soldier and felt love energy emitting from him. The rose mark on Romantic Pink Rose's neck began glowing again. "Kurama, think harder!" the Pretty Soldier encouraged. "Think of her with the tenderest feelings!"

At her command, the young man changed his thoughts from Pink Rose to her true identity as Botan. From there, an affectionate smile graced his lips as he imagined the ferry girl and all that he loved about her. Her rose mark now shining a bright red, Romantic Pink Rose felt Kurama's love energy surrounding her. She also felt the supporting energy of her fellow Pretty Soldiers collecting into the Rose Staff. Calling upon her own love energy and then combining their energy together, Romantic Pink Rose pointed her staff to the corralled demons and called out her special attack. "Love Eternal Season Bouquet!"

The collecting energy at the tip of her Rose Staff grew into a giant heart, the heart then blooming into a four flower bouquet: roses, apricot blossoms, peonies, and salvias. The flowers scattered in bursts of light and sparkles, shooting themselves at the demons. Against the tremendous attack, the demons disintegrated into ash. From the distance the rescued humans cheered for the Detectives and Soldiers.

With a wink towards her, Romantic Pink Rose giggled, "Okay, White Apricot, you know what to do."

She nodded, handed the leading Soldier the soul, and summoned her signature move, "White Blossom Aroma!"

As expected, the humans fell asleep as the spell took effect. When they awoke, everything would have only been a dream to them. They would not remember the secret identities of the Pretty Soldiers or Romantic Pink Rose's transformation; they would not remember the love between Detective and Soldier; they would not remember the glorious final battle of the Pretty Soldiers.

At that moment, Koenma appeared before the Pretty Soldiers and Spirit Detectives, with Ayame, George, and Hinageshi in tow. Gently Romantic Pink Rose gave the prince the precious soul. Once in his hands, Koenma applied a steady amount of Spirit Energy into Kontennyo, relieved when the heavenly maiden returned to her true form.

"Thank you, Pretty Soldiers and Spirit Detectives," Kontennyo bowed with her gorgeous smile. "I'll remember you when you come to Heaven one day." With that, she stood in the moonlight and faded away back to Heaven.

Once the heavenly princess was gone, Hinageshi announced, "With the return of Kontennyo-hime's soul, the score is four all, the Spirit Detectives and Pretty Soldiers tied."

Kazuma, Yusuke, and Kurama looked to each and then to the others in confusions. "Tied?"

Groaning, Koenma replied, "We'll explain everything back in Spirit World."


	11. Chapter XI: Deluxe Special Bloom!

**Author's Note: **Final Chapter!

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**Yu Yu Hakusho: Magical Girl Special Flower Bloom!  
Chapter ****XI: Deluxe Special Bloom! Winner of the Sweet Wager!**

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When everyone returned to Spirit World, they found Hiei quietly waiting for them in Koenma's office. "Hiei, when did you get here?" someone immediately demanded.

"As soon as I found out that you guys found out," the fire demon responded nonchalantly. When he glanced at the Pretty Soldiers, his face betrayed no emotion; however when he noticed Romantic Pink Rose and the differences between her and the other Soldiers, he raised one brow. "I wanted to know what was going on."

"Eh? That means you knew?" Yusuke crossed his arms and glared at his smaller friend. "Why didn't you tell any of us?"

The demon snorted. "It was obvious, even without me reading their minds."

"How was it obvious?"

"There are only two women in the world that can defeat Yusuke: Mukuro and his woman. Mukuro would never be a Pretty Soldier, so that leaves the human girl." As he said this, Hiei gave Yellow Peony an up-down. He really wondered how an average human female could get the great Urameshi Yusuke on his knees every time. "Carrot-head is just an idiot and can't tell who Yukina and the others are, despite his claims to have a strong sixth sense." Hiei shot Red Salvia an unhappy frown, his brows crinkled slightly. "The taller woman was a little trickier, but her voice is exactly the same. And bubblehead over there was the most obvious of all."

"Eh?" Everyone looked at Romantic Pink Rose and then back to Hiei in confusion. "How so?"

"How did she get the first soul out of the house without anyone noticing?" the fire demon asked in exasperation. Really, his "friends" were sometimes very tiresome. "How was she so good at dealing with lost souls? Who else would know everything about us and use it to their advantage?" With that said, red eyes glared at a rose-pink form in disapproval. Romantic Pink Rose tried to smile and suppress a shiver. "She's the only one that had access to such a high level Spirit sealing spell they used twice. And there are only two people that Kurama would make such a fuss over, one of them being his mother."

Kurama glared at the fire demon and his acute sense of observation.

Sensing his friend's displeasure, Hiei murmured beneath his breath, "Blame yourself." He knew that no one but Kurama would hear it.

"So the four of you were the Pretty Soldiers all along?" Yusuke demanded as he turned to the four girls. He tried to settle his turbulent feelings and wanted to talk to the Soldiers as civilly as possible.

Seeing her boyfriend try so hard, Yellow Peony smiled at kindly explained, "It was a wager between Koenma-sama and George-san. We all wanted to know which gender made the better Spirit World investigator."

"Koenma-sama and George-san arranged it so that it would be boys versus girls, us against the Spirit Detectives," White Apricot said with confidence. Everyone stared at the white Pretty Soldier, the men surprised that the fair, confident girl was actually shy, quiet Yukina. Really, none of them would have guessed that the ice maiden was one of the Pretty Soldiers.

"Was your identity really so important?" Yusuke asked.

"No," Romantic Pink Rose admitted apologetically, "it just simply gave us an edge over you."

"But what do we do?" Hinageshi sighed. "The wager ended in a draw."

"Not so fast!" Romantic Pink Rose, Yellow Peony, and Red Salvia approached Ayame and Hinageshi. "Could you tell us which points each team received and why?"

Nodding in accord, Ayame grabbed the remote from Koenma's desk and lowered the viewing screen. Pressing a few buttons, Ayame rewound the videos to the first assignment so many days ago. The screen displayed the scene where the Pretty Soldiers introduced themselves the first time. "The Spirit Detectives received the first point for actually brining in the demon and completing the assignment, as seen here."

After that, she pushed the fast-forward button to the next assignment after that. "They received the second point in the same fashion, being the ones to actually arrest the demon fugitive." The next clip showed Pink Rose and Kurama in the old house, the Spirit Detective falling on top of her and groping her. The two involved parties cringed and blushed at the memories. "The third point then went to the Pretty Soldiers because they successfully rescued the soul and returned her to Spirit World. The score is 2 for the Detectives, 1 for the Soldiers."

Returning her attention to the screen, Ayame then again fast-forwarded the footage up until Peony's challenge. "The Soldiers then received the fourth point because Yellow Peony challenged Yusuke, he accepted, and she won the challenge. The fifth point then went to the Pretty Soldiers again because White Apricot challenged Kazuma, he accepted, and she defeated him. The score now is 3 for Soldiers, 2 for Detectives. After the last challenge, Aizen appeared in the Human World. The sixth point went to the Detectives since they captured him and brought him back to Spirit World."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Kazuma exclaimed while he pointed at the present scene taking the place. On screen the Pretty Soldiers had fallen unconscious without their masks. "We took off their masks then. Doesn't that count as a defeat?"

"No because discovering their identities is inconsequential to the wager," Ayame said with a shake of her dark head. "They already knew who you were. It didn't matter if you knew who they were. It would just make their part harder." Kazuma and Yusuke snapped their fingers at a lost chance.

"Anyways," the junior ferry girl pressed on with spirit, "the seventh point then went to the Detectives, Kurama challenging Pink Rose and winning."

"Huh?" Romantic Pink Rose stared at Hinageshi. "When did he challenge me?"

The young ferry girl blushed. "Remember that time not to long ago when Kurama gave you that mark?"

Blushing, the Pretty Soldier responded, "But he didn't challenge! And even if he did, I didn't accept anything. I'm sure of that."

"Let's review it shall we." Hinageshi took the remote from Ayame and skipped to the said moment. When they reached it, everyone silently watched the scene to see it unfold. When they first had the scene recorded, there had not been any audio—but that had been the fault of the speakers. So when they had replaced them with new real-surround-sound, ultra-super-bass-and-sounds-like-you're-there speakers, they had recovered the audio for that scene.

_"Aaaaah! What do you want with me, Kurama-san?"_

_"I want you to tell me the truth. I want to know why you've lied to me, Botan."_

_"What the hell are you talking about?"_

_"I know the truth, Botan."_

The forcefulness began. Never knowing about this particular moment, a shocked Red Salvia and Yellow Peony covered innocent White Apricot's eyes while the Spirit Detectives watched on with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Kurama pinched the bridge of his nose with furrowed brows while the pink Pretty Soldier blushed a dark crimson.

_"Rose Starbright!"_

_"You're far cleverer than you let on, Botan."_

_"Why are you calling me Botan?"_

_"Why are you lying to me? I'm nowhere near Yomi's level of hearing, but I know when someone lies to me. You're Botan, there's no denying."_

_"Kurama-san, let me go."_

_"No._"

Kurama and Pink Rose then began their passionate session of uneven breaths and flushed expressions. The heat in the room when up ten notches as steam blew out of everyone's ears. Someone threatened to have a nosebleed when they saw how Pink Rose had received her "rose mark".

"Can we turn it off now?" Romantic Pink Rose demanded with a strawberry red face. Quickly Hinageshi skipped the scene and pushed the pause button. So sure enough, Romantic Pink Rose had been right.

"Then the seventh point is null and no one receives it," Ayame said calmly as her cheeks lost their blush. "So we move on to the eighth point, which as we all know the Pretty Soldiers received. They successfully rescued and returned Kontennyo-hime's soul. Her soul was the final mission for the wager."

"When we do the final math, the Pretty Soldiers have 4 points and the Spirit Detectives have 3 points," Hinageshi announced after recovering from moments earlier. "The girls win, thus making George the winner."

George and the four Pretty Soldiers did a group high ten and cheered loudly for themselves. "We won!"

"Ah! I get Koenma-sama's desserts for the next decade!" the ogre cheered most happily. He gave the girls a group hug. "Thank you so much, girls, for doing your best!"

"Your welcome!"

Yusuke's fists trembled at his side. "Are you kidding me?"

Kazuma gaped in disbelief. "We were used for a bet—"

"To win dessert for the next ten years?" Kurama finished for him.

"Have you seen Koenma-sama's desserts?" Romantic Pink Rose demanded. "They're definitely worth the battle." The Spirit Detectives regardless shot Koenma dirty glares; Yusuke and Kazuma approached him with dark expressions in their eyes. The prince, still in his adult form, went to hide behind Ayame for safety.

"Hey, Botan," Yellow Peony called out, "I've been meaning to ask you this."

"Hm?"

"How in the world did you transform into Romantic Pink Rose?"

Red Salvia and White Apricot nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I wanted to know that too," Saliva said. "How did you get such a big power boost to single-handedly kick butt like that?"

"I don't know. All I remember is…" The Soldier blushed and eyed Kurama shyly. "Ah… I think I was able to win thanks to Kurama-kun's help."

"My help?" he said questioningly.

"I was able to draw out your energy with the mark you left me," she shyly explained. "Thanks to that, I was able to transform into Romantic Soldier Pink Rose. As you've probably figured out by now, the Pretty Soldiers are powered up by love energy. When you gave me your love energy, it was enough to charge me up for the next transformation. Magical Girl Super Love Bloom has only been reached by two Pretty Soldiers before me, so it's not something very easy to do."

"But how did I give it to you?" Kurama questioned. "I don't remember physically giving you any—"

"Your mark—" She blushed as she said this, not wanting the others to stare so intently at the rose on her neck. "It connects your Spirit Energy to mine. Since love energy is similar enough, all you had to do was concentrate your love energy and I could tap into it."

"But how was that done?"

"Don't you remember? I told you to think of your loved one."

"Ah," Kurama said in understanding. He recalled the moment Pink Rose had transformed, his feelings of relief at knowing that the two women he liked were one in the same. Those feelings had then transformed into tenderness, which then had apparently fueled the Magical Girl Super Love Bloom transformation.

"Too bad we won't be able to try it," Yellow Peony sighed regrettably. She looked to her fellow Soldiers and smiled. "I guess it's time we return our powers."

The three girls nodded in agreement. "I guess so."

Gathering into a circle, the four of them placed both hands over their brooches and closed their eyes in concentration. Light and glitter shimmered away as their transformations disappeared and ending their final time as Pretty Soldiers. Each girl handed George her colored compact.

Keiko gave the ogre a hug after returning her compact. "Thank you, George-san, for the good time."

"Yeah, it was definitely fun being a Pretty Soldier." Shizuru grinned while handing her red compact to him.

Yukina politely bowed. "Thank you for such an opportunity, George-san."

"Thank you, girls, for doing this for me." The orgre blushed bashfully with an arm behind his head. "Hey, I couldn't do this with any of you."

Looking at her other three friends, the former Yellow Peony said, "Hey, let's go home now." Keiko turned around and frowned when she saw Yusuke. "What are you doing?"

Having an adult Koenma locked in a headlock, Yusuke looked up to his girlfriend and answered nonchalantly, "Showing this little twerp who he can and shouldn't use for useless bets."

"You aren't coming home right now?"

"I will once I'm done with him." He gave Koenma another noogie. "What? What was that, Koenma? You want to use us for another useless assignment like that?"

"Help!"

"What about you, Kazuma-san?" Yukina questioned. She held Keiko's hand in preparation to leave Spirit World.

"I'll go back with Yusuke."

"Someone help!"

Shizuru bonked her baby brother on the head. "Make sure you don't come in late, mister, or else no dinner for you."

He immediately saluted her. "Yes ma'am!"

Remembering that a certain fire demon was present, Botan turned to ask, "And what about you, Hiei? Are you going to go back to—" When she saw him, Hiei watched Yusuke and Kazuma with an amused, demonic glint in his ruby eyes. She sweat dropped and laughed nervously, "Never mind."

Shaking the frightened feelings off, the ferry girl turned to her friends and led them towards the office doors. "Come on," Botan giggled with the girls. "I'll lead you back to Human World."

Turning his attention away from Yusuke and Kazuma's torture antics, Kurama called out urgently, "Botan, I need to talk to you about—"

Walking straight up to him, Botan placed a finger to his lips and smiled mischievously, "Don't worry, I'll come right back. I've realized my feelings about you, so that's that. Besides, I need to return you the favor."

"Eh?"

Botan tugged down her collar to show off her rose mark better. "I'll return this to you twofold, Kurama-kun." She winked at him ever playfully. "Just to let you know."

Kurama blushed as red as his hair. "Not if I get to you first," he murmured in reply.

Botan kissed him on the lips before skipping away back to the girls. "Heh, a Soldier of Love never fails!"

**The End**

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**Author's Note:** Thank you everyone for your support for this little mini-series of sorts. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Now I will return my attention to my other unfinished stories. Thank you again for everything and I hope to hear your thoughts in reviews!

Eunjung


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